Three Faces of Bruce
by rozisa
Summary: After the Avengers watch "Three Faces of Eve", Steve compares Eve to Bruce. Bruce gives Steve a dirty look, but Tony thinks the talking cure might be worth a try. Bruce/Tony
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I don't own Avengers or Chris Sizemore. 20th Century Fox claimed they owned Chris Sizemore but that ended badly for them. Marvel owns the Avengers and Chris Sizemore owns Chris Sizemore.

xxxx

It was movie night at the Stark Mansion and _3 Faces of Eve_ starring Joanne Woodward was the movie Natasha had chosen. The movie was on the dull side, so there was a lot of popcorn throwing and talking over the picture, but Steve appeared to actually be watching the film. After it was over, Steve said, "Dr. Banner is Eve White and The Hulk is Eve Black."

Bruce gave him a dirty look.

"That was rude," said Natasha.

"You chose the movie," said Clint. "You're the rude one."

Tony took Bruce's hand. "Steve may have a point. You've been looking for a cure through chemical means. Chris Sizemore did integrate her personalities about 18 years after the movie ended. So it is possible to integrate you and the Hulk."

"You don't know that for sure," said Bruce.

"Let's talk in the Green Room," said Tony. "Are you game?"

Bruce let Tony lead him into the Green Room a room he designed to hold the Hulk while being a meditation room. It had furniture and other things to toss around. The walls were pink and light blue and there was a waterfall. Bruce could pipe in nature sounds or calming music. After Tony locked the door, he said, "Jarvis, only Pepper can open the door from the outside. Bruce or myself can open it from the inside."

"Very good, sir," said the AI.

Tony sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor. "I'm not good at this whole meditation thing. It isn't my bag."

Bruce sat near him. "Breath with your diaphragm."

Following Bruce's direction, Tony took a cleansing breath. "This stuff helps?"

"Not as much as allowing myself to feel the anger but not dwelling on it does," said Bruce. "If I deny my anger, I will, eventually, blow no matter how many deep breaths I take."

"Ridding yourself of the Hulk may be the wrong approach. Deep breaths," Tony said. "Hear me out then you can yell that I'm wrong; that I, totally, don't get it. That movie was outdated and the science in it wrong, but you have a lot of the symptoms of DID, including the fact you experienced early childhood trauma."

"My father killed my mother and tried to kill me," said Bruce.

"You never developed alts as far as you know, but you learned to compartmentalize. As strange as this is going to sound, I have to say it. You need to integrate the Hulk back into Bruce. You need your rage."

"I'm listening," said Bruce. "How do I integrate him?"

"Am I a psychologist?" asked Tony.

Bruce didn't give an answer and just looked at Tony.

Tony added, "And I don't even play one on TV."

"The other guy could kill a psychologist. Nice idea, but I can't risk it."

Tony stood, walked over to Bruce and put a hand on his shoulder. "You read what you can on Dissociative Identity Disorder, and I'll see if I can get a psychotherapist that is willing to work over voice chat or by phone. What we're doing now isn't working, and the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The worse that can happen is we have another failure."

Bruce laughed. "No, the worst thing that can happen is I integrate and I'm the Hulk full-time."

"Then you haven't integrated. Integration means all your personalities are combined."

Bruce stood up and looked Tony in the eye. "What if I end up nine feet tall and green?"

Tony put both his hands on Bruce's shoulders and stared him down. "Then you're nine feet tall, green, happy, sad, able to express rage like a normal person, and almost as brilliant as I."

Bruce sat back down, crossed his legs and took a deep breath. "He's stronger than me."

"He isn't stronger or weaker than you. He's part of you. There is no Bruce without the Hulk." Tony started walking toward the door. "You think about that. And, honey, remember I love you."

Bruce looked at his feet. "I know you wouldn't do this if you didn't love me. Thanks."

"You don't love me? The Hulk loves me. I'm a very lovable fellow."

Bruce, simply, said, "I don't think I like myself enough to love someone else. Sorry."

"We'll work on that, too. But we've done enough for one night. Are you going to stay here and meditate? I'll let myself out. Good night."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Tony spent it on the telephone. "Hi, I'm Tony Stark, the man the Hulk caught from the sky," he said to the fifth headshinker he called. No bullshit this time, the direct approach. "The Hulk has some emotional issues that he needs help with."

"Why isn't he calling?" asked the psychologist.

"Because he's the Hulk, duh," said Tony. "He asked me to do it. He needs his privacy. Please, hear me out before you hang up because you don't do therapy for third parties. I have a drinking problem or so I've been told, so you can call this couple's counseling, I don't care." Pepper told him has a drinking problem nearly everyday. Then the Avengers and Rhodey told him that, too, just not as often as Peps did. He'd say almost anything to get Bruce the help he needed.

"I'm listening," said the woman on the phone.

"Since my friend could, possibly, kill you over the course of treatment, he will only agree if you will do it over the phone or by video chat."

"Why are you doing this?" asked the doctor.

"Because he's my friend and he saved my life. I'm an adrenaline junkie. Ironman lives off the stuff. I don't know if him talking to someone will help him, but he has tried everything else. I just want my friend to experience what I feel."

"Video chat," said the doctor. "Can you come in?"

"For paperwork, sure. But, since you can't be with the Hulk for safety reasons, I need to be with him if he needs physical comfort," explained Tony.

"I can't treat someone without a name," said the doctor.

"Doctors tend to put him in a cage," explained Tony. "You can't have a name. His rules, not mine."

"Good-bye now." The phone went dead.

Tony was getting beyond frustrated. That doctor stayed on the phone longer than the others. Not willing to give up, Tony called back, "Please, he needs therapy. You would be doing the world a great service. Saving lives. Say on your paperwork that you're treating me alone."

"That's unethical."

Tony raised his voice. "What is unethical is not treating a man with Earth-shattering anger management issues because he doesn't trust the medical community with plenty of good reasons. The government wanted to vivisect him. Plenty of my former associates would _love_ to get the Hulk into their labs. You aren't paranoid when they're really out to get you."

"Why does he trust you?"

"Because everyone else who knows about his condition acts like he's made of tissue paper. I treated him like a human being. I poked him, got in his face and even threw stuff at him." Alright, it was dried blueberries, but Ms. Headshinker didn't need to know that. Bruce had other reasons to trust him, but Tony wanted to limit it to why the Hulk would go out of his way to rescue him since that was caught on tape; thus, common knowledge.

"Mr. Stark, it sounds like you need a therapist."

It was a shame she couldn't see his puppy dog eyes over the phone. "I do. Please, help me."

"OK," said the therapist. "I can't bare to hear a grown superhero beg. You can come in to fill out paperwork and discuss setting up video cam sessions after my last appointment of the day."

Tony thanked her and wrote down the directions and the appointment time.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I don't owe Marvel. However, Susanne Rosen is my original character and belongs to me.

xxxx

Dr. Susanne Rosen was surprised to see the actual Tony Stark arrive in her office. He was dressed in a business suit and was carrying a suitcase slash briefcase. She was hoping, well, praying, it was a prank call. She had Tony Stark, Ironman, in her office. "Hello, Mr. Stark." She shook his free hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," said Mr. Stark.

Oh my God! Susanne wanted to be professional like she was on the phone this morning, but this man rode a nuclear missile into a wormhole to save New York City. Finally, she let go of his hand and walked over to her desk. "You said you had a drinking problem. I can write Alcohol Dependency on the treatment plan. If that is OK with you?"

"As long as you will treat my friend, I don't care what you write," said Tony. "It isn't like my alcohol problems are a big secret after I nearly burned down my own house."

While she was filling out paperwork, Susanne said, "Although I figured this morning's phone call was most likely a prank, I did read up on you and, Mr. Stark, your life is pretty much an open book."

xxxx

Tony sat down in the chair with the least cushioning. Although he was pretty sure he wouldn't be attacked by aliens or giants robots in a psychologist's office, he didn't want to be fighting the deep cushions of a sofa just in case. "You tell me what to sign and I'll sign. I'll be paying cash. No insurance forms to fill out that way." He looked at her walls with the pictures of starscapes and recalled that the previous psychologist to work in this office was supposedly abducted by aliens. That's what made him call her after 4 noes. She didn't shy away from the weird. He had done his homework, too.

Also she wasn't bad to look at. Her carrot-red hair was shoulder length, she was slender yet curvy, and was younger than he expected. "After we fill out the paperwork, you tell me how you want to handle the video chat. Does Mr. Hulk have a first name?"

"Bruce," said Tony. "The core personality calls the Hulk 'the other guy' and the Hulk refers to himself as Hulk and the core personality as Bruce. Since they see each other as separate people, the diagnosis of DID fits."

"Mr. Stark, please, do not do my job," Susanne said, as she offered Tony some papers to sign. He wouldn't touch them when she tried to hand them to him and nodded for her to put them on the desk. Oh well. That could go on another treatment plan if he wanted to work on that. "This is the treatment plan. Please, sign here and initial the top of each paper. Sign here, stating I gave you a copy of the client's rights and responsibilities. Until I met with Mr. Hulk and get his permission to treat him, you are my client."

"Understood."

"I suggest to all my clients undergoing treatment for alcohol dependency that they also attend AA or, at least, go to one meeting since 12-step programs don't work for everyone."

"AA. Got it."

"Sign here, saying you agree to pay for services at time of service." Susanne slipped him another document to sign. "I wrote in the treatment plan that we are working toward lessening your self-destructive behaviors, which include but are not limited to drinking excessively. I, for one, am very thankful that you're mentally ill or New York City and the surrounding area would be a radioactive hole in the ground. But we can work on why you felt the need to poke and throw things at a person that changes into an enormous rage monster."

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "It felt like the right thing to do at the time and it pissed off the other Avengers."

"Let's save that for another day," said Susanne. "Is Bruce able to set up the equipment at his end?"

"I can call him." Tony set up Susanne's computer, so she wouldn't need the codes to get through Tony's firewalls. "Don't lose the codes." Then he set the camera onto Bruce's face, a bit too close at first. "Hi, beautiful," Tony said into the microphone. Then Tony or Bruce got the camera at Bruce's end in focus.

"You don't look so bad yourself," said Bruce. "At least, your clothes fit."

"I had this suit custom-tailored," said Tony. "I'll have you know."

"You need to pay me a livable wage, so I don't get called Second-Hand Rose."

"You get a livable wage," said Tony. "You remove your shoes before we go out on a mission. Maybe, you should remove some more clothing."

"You would like that," Bruce teased. "You enjoy seeing my naked body too much as it is."

"I wouldn't want to break up this lover's quarrel," said Susanne. "But, Mr. Stark, aren't you going to introduce me?"

"It's Tony," said the man who had taken over her desk, including putting his shoes on her furniture. "Oh, Bruce, this is your new therapist, Dr. Rosen."

"Hi, Bruce," said Susanne, waving at the webcam. "I'm Susanne Rosen. I didn't expect you to look so much like the other guy. Tony told me that's what you call him."

"He looks like me," said Bruce. "Dr. Rosen, what degrees do you have?"

"I have a master's in social work and doctorate in psychology," said she. "You?"

"After I finished medical school, I decided to go back to school to study physics since it would be been awkward signing prescriptions when I wasn't old enough to buy a beer. When Doogie Howser aired, I was a student at a college where no one knew my past," said Bruce.

Susanne laughed. "You're making this up?"

"No, I starting studying physics in 88. The year before Doogie Howser aired. Tony asked all of us Avengers icebreaking questions like your first date and who you went to the prom with," explained Bruce. "Everyone laughed when I told them that I didn't go to high school, my foster parents got me into college straight after middle school."

"It must have been difficult being so much younger than the other students," said Susanne.

"Not really," said Bruce. "I did my work, hung out at the library and rode my bike home."

"Your foster parents must have really loved you to pay for college," said Susanne.

"The state paid for it and paid them to keep me," said Bruce. "Not that I'm angry about that. It's just the way things were. I used their name for years. I didn't go to court and get a formal name change; I just used it."

"What was their name?"

Bruce smiled. "No last names. If I give you one of my alias, I may slip and give you my real name. By the way, don't go looking up Bruces that graduated medical school before age 21 in 1988. Bruce is my middle name. Good luck with blank B. blank."

"I'm going to look it up anyway in case your lying," said Susanne.

"Fine, it's your time you're wasting," said Bruce. "Then I could be lying about the year I finished medical school. S.H.I.E.L.D. finds me treating patients in India and they forget I'm a doctor."

"I can't help you if you don't let me see the real you," explained Susanne. "I won't write anything down, as far as anyone knows I'm treating Mr. Stark for alcohol dependency. You can tell me your name. Your real one or one of your alias."

"The problem is, according to the law, you can have me involuntarily committed because I'm always a danger to myself and others," Bruce said. "And your hospitals can't handle the other guy."

"We can talk more when we have an appointment. Good bye for now." Susanne closed the window before Bruce could say his good-byes. Then she unplugged her microphone just in case. "You didn't warn me."

"That he has anger issues? His anger issues are big green and can level New York City. You knew you weren't going to be talking Fred Rogers." Tony jumped out her chair in a surprisingly graceful move. "He did worse to the agent that found him in India."

"Really?" said Susanne. "Don't tell me. Let him tell me when he is ready."

After they agreed on an appointment time, Tony left with copies of his treatment plan, client's rights and responsibilities, and a list of locate AA meetings. That went better than expected.


	4. Chapter 4

After Tony got home, he showed Pepper the list of meeting sites. "This one has an Al-Anon meeting at the same time. That way, you can talk to friends and families of Alcoholics while I attend AA."

Pepper smiled. "You're serious."

"Only if you want to. I can attend another meeting alone."

"I would love to go." Pepper kissed him.

Tony sat on the sofa beside Pepper and put an arm around her. "I'm, finally, getting therapy for my drinking problems. My therapist wants me to also go to AA. I'm not sure about the anonymous part. My face has been on television too many times."

"It just means no last names and no talking about what was said in the meeting to other people."

"I just worry what people will think if they see the guy who saved New York at an AA meeting."

"That you're human."

"I met with the psychologist because she is willing to help Bruce, but since Bruce won't see her in person because he has trust issues, she is, technically, only treating me and I told her I have an alcohol problem because I didn't know what else to say."

"Admitting the problem is the first step."

Tony smiled. "One day at a time."

"One second, if necessary."

"I'll leave remodeling the bar up to you."

Pepper kissed him on the lips. "You really mean it."

"When I set out to do something, I do it." Tony looked at the bar. "One second, one minute. I can do this." Then he looked at the pamphlet with the meeting times. "I think I need that meeting now."

Tony dropped a twenty into the collection basket because anything more would be inappropriate when most people gave ones or a five. Since enough people knew he was a billionaire less than twenty would look cheap. He listened to other people talk for most of the two hours then said, "Hello, I'm Tony. I'm an alcoholic."

"Hello, Tony," said the group.

The mediator said, "Tony, we're getting close to ending for the night, so I suggest you don't do more than introduce yourself to the group unless you are in crisis then talk all you want or need."

"I called a therapist this morning," said Tony. "And she suggested AA to me. I'll also be seeing her. I guess I'm what you call a functioning alcoholic. Maybe, not so functional. My CEO has been covering for me for years. I liked hearing all your stories. This is my first AA meeting, but it won't be my last."

"Thank you, Tony," said the mediator.

xxxx

Pepper asked, "Did Bruce do that?", when she returned from her dinner meeting to see the living room destroyed.

Tony looked over the nearly pulverized mess that was once a bar. "Tony smash."

Pepper just looked at him.

"All the bottles were saying, 'Drink me.' I had no choice."

"You could have stayed with Bruce tonight," said Pepper. "There's always a choice."

"Are you giving me permission to sleep with Bruce?" asked Tony.

"You're going to have your flings whether I give permission or not," said Pepper. "Just be gentle with him. He's going to want forever."

"He told me yesterday that he wasn't ready for a relationship," explained Tony. "I teased him about wearing less clothes to missions in front of the therapist. He's so adorable when he's blushing."

"How did the AA meeting go?"

"Good. I told someone afterward that I was going to take an ax to my bar," explained Tony. "I was joking at the time. Then the liquor bottles started staring at me. I trashed most of the liquor bottles in the Ironman suit, but I decided using an ax would be more rewarding, but the ax was taking too long, so I also used a sledgehammer. It looks nice, doesn't it?"

"I suppose broken bottles over broken furniture has some sort of aesthetic appeal. I'll have someone clean it up in the morning."

"I've been sober over a day now," said Tony.

Pepper looked at the mess. "You're less destructive drunk." She pulled him in for a hug. "It's your penthouse in your tower. Break anything you want. I'm very proud of you by the way." She kissed him.


	5. Chapter 5

The time came for their first therapy session, Susanne at her office and Bruce and Tony in the Green Room. Susanne said, "Bruce, do you want Tony in the room? I spoke to Tony alone before we set up the connection. It's only fair I give you the same privilege."

"I can leave," said Tony. "Have Jarvis call me when you're ready."

"And if the other guy appears?" asked Bruce.

"Then Dr. Rosen can call Jarvis," said Tony. "We good?"

Bruce nodded.

Tony kissed Bruce's cheek then waved good-bye before leaving the Green Room.

Susanne said, "Are you and Tony a couple?"

"I'm not sure," said Bruce. "I haven't had sex since before the accident. My heart rate goes up and we know what happens. He wants to have sex with me, but I've been gently turning him down. Now he's, finally, dealing with his own shit just so I can see a therapist. Not just anyone would do that."

"After our first meeting, I have trouble believing you're gentle with anyone."

"Tony isn't going to dump Pepper, so I'll never be more than a fling to him," said Bruce.

"This room, the therapy," said Susanne. "You are more than a fling to him."

"People like Tony spend a lot of money on their mistresses. I didn't say he doesn't love me. It's just that he needs Pepper more than he needs me and he isn't a stupid man."

"Tony isn't a stupid man and, Doogie, you aren't stupid either. So why does Tony love you?"

"He told me when we met that he loves my mind and the way I lose control and turn into an enormous, green, rage monster. I saved his life. Well, the other guy did. I remember bits and pieces from being the other guy, especially during his calmer moments. I remember catching Tony mid-air and cradling him. We do science together. He says I'm almost as bright as him. He can see 3-dimensional arrays in his head. I know because I'm using the computer and he is moving all these numbers around in space. He's the only person I feel stupid around. Him and Stephen Hawking. Then I've never met Stephen Hawking."

"Was that so hard?"

"I guess not." Bruce smiled weakly. "Do you have to call me Doogie?"

"What does Tony call you?"

"He called me 'honey' a few times he also calls me 'big guy', but it is mostly just Bruce. Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure. Why did your foster parents enroll you in college at fourteen?"

"I suppose because they didn't want to see me not using my intelligence. The foster care system cuts you off at your eighteenth birthday. At fourteen, the public school system has to pay for my education. IDEA. Least restrictive environment." Bruce smiled for a second then continued talking. "A lot of kids in foster care, bright kids, end up not going to college because they can't navigate the grants and scholarships. They didn't want that happening to me."

"What is so funny?"Susanne asked, noticing the brief smile.

"Here I am talking least restrictive environment and I'm talking to you from inside a cage made from alloys Tony hasn't even marketed, yet. Then this is my restrictive environment. Don't get me wrong it's a nice cage, but it is still a cage."

"Does that make you angry?"

"No, I did this to myself. I come in here when I need to cool off. It makes me feel safe like a baby in a blanket. Tony and I talk in here when we need to get away from the other Avengers. Tony has made it very clear that the Green Room is off-limits."

"You don't sleep in here?"

"Sometimes." Bruce pointed to something Susanne couldn't see. Possibly a bed or a couch. "I sleep in my bed most nights. More often than I like to admit I fall asleep in the lab in front of a computer waiting for my data to comply. Tony's mind is faster than any computer then, if it wasn't, he couldn't do the things he does as Ironman. Tony told DOD that the suit wasn't Ironman. He was Ironman. He's like this ball of nervous energy. Can Tony come back in the room?"

"Doogie, it's your therapy. You set the pace."

Bruce said, "Jarvis, tell Tony to come back in."

After Tony entered the room, Bruce gave him a quick hug. "We talked about you."

"All good, I hope." Tony put an arm around Bruce.

"Tony, since you're the one with a treatment plan, let's talk about you for a moment." asked Susanne. "Did you go to, at least, one AA meeting?"

"Yes," said Tony.

"How many?"

"3," said Tony. "One the first night then one that had a Al-Anon group meeting next door. Pepper admitted afterward that some of her 'quote' meetings had been Al-Anon. We laughed about that. Then I went to another meeting because a friend was drinking beer in front of me and I needed another dose of support."

Bruce said, "So that's where you ran off to."

"Have you fallen off the wagon? No shame. Just pick yourself up and start, again."

"No, I've been sober for four days now."

"Doogie, you don't have answer, but do you drink?"

"No, my father killed my mother in a drunken rage while I watched," Bruce said. "I don't go near the stuff; besides, it kills brain cells. My brain cells are very important to me. Tony can tell you I do herbal tea."

"He had me drink lavender tea once." Tony made a face. "I never tasted anything so horrible."

"How old were you?" asked Susanne.

"I tell you; you look up newspaper articles and you know my identity," said Bruce.

"We'll come back to that," said Susanne. "And believe me, we will. However, we need to get to know each other a bit more before we dive that deep into the muck. On a lighter note or not, you implied that you come here to hide from the other Avengers. Do you get along with them?"

"I can't use names since Ironman is the only Avenger that is publicly outed. Well, I can use Thor's name since he's from another planet. Captain America wears a mask and the other two Avengers work as spies so outing them could get them killed," Bruce explained. "We get along fine. Now that they know I won't Hulk out (their words) at the drop of a hat, they're more comfortable with me."

"Why do you feel the need to hide then?" Susanne asked.

"Sometimes, their teasing gets too much. Thor is back on Asgard, but he can be like an overbearing kid. I've been around adults since I was 14, so I don't handle kids well. The two spies are always teasing each in ways that because they spend a lot of time around death would seem barbaric to an outsider. And Captain America means well but he's a bit young. He sticks his foot in his mouth a lot. We were watching _3 Faces of Eve_ and he compared me to the title character."

"That must have hurt," said Susanne.

"It did," said Bruce. "But I'm not whole yet, so I don't have a third face - Bruce and the Hulk as one person. I'm still fractured."

"Do you want to be whole?" asked Susanne.

"Of course, I want to be whole. I want to be able to not have to control myself all the time because my anger can kill people. I love Tony and all he has done for me, but I want this not to be necessary. I want people not to be scared of me. I want me not to be scared of me - of what might happen."

"I see," said Susanne. "I think we've done a lot for one day. My bill is in the mail. How about twice a week unless you prefer once a week?"

"Twice is good," said Bruce.

"Tony, when is a good time?" asked Susanne.

"Supervillians don't announce always their plans in advance and saving the world comes first," teased Tony. "But the same time on Monday works."

xxxx

Author's Note: I'm throwing a lot of abbreviations around and jargon. IDEA is Individuals with Disabilities Education Act which I believe was replaced by ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) in 1990, but Bruce was covered by IDEA since he is talking pre-ADA. Least Restrictive Environment means special education students should be in regular classes as much as possible. DID is Dissociative Identity Disorder. And DOD is Department of Defense. Too much alphabet soup for one chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Susanne found a newspaper article about a lab being destroyed at Berkeley. A Dr. Bruce Banner was one of the post-docs working at that lab. She called around the school asking about any papers he wrote while he was there and from before. Finally, she got the name of the medical school he attended. Then she called the AMA. She had the name on his medical license, Roberto Banner. It must have been a typo that he never bothered to correct. She played his game and won.

When she saw him over the computer monitor, she smiled at the man wearing a pale purple tee shirt and pajamas pants a few sizes too big. His hair was unbrushed, but he did shave recently and he looked clean. "_Halo, Doctor Roberto Banner, como etas?_"

"_Asi asi_," he replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Susanne. "Where's Tony?"

"Talking to his board members or something," said Bruce. "He said I was whoring myself."

"You don't have sex," she teased. He was obviously talking about selling other types of services.

"First he tells me it's my lab I can do whatever I want. Now I find out I can do whatever I want as long as I give all rights to Stark Industries. He had the nerve to tell me I could work for other companies if I paid rent like everyone else. I can't afford to rent lab space in Manhattan."

"Then you make enough money to afford the lab space or you work for Tony," said Susanne. "He is giving you his lab. I don't think wanting to profit from it is unreasonable. Do you ever leave Stark Towers?"

"Sometimes."

"When was the last time?"

"Three weeks ago. We had Avengers' business in Israel."

Susanne said, "Not for work."

"Tony and I ate lunch at a deli in Tel Aviv, which was not work related."

"There are lots of Kosher delis in New York," said Susanne Rosen. "You could have gotten pastrami without the plane flight."

"Are you inviting me out to lunch?" asked Bruce. "Because with you being my therapist, that is highly unethical."

"Tony (Mr. Self-destructive Tendencies) Stark is my client. You aren't."

"I can get dressed and meet you in front of Stark Tower in an hour," said Bruce.

"It will take me longer than that to find a cab and I have some paperwork to finish up," said Susanne. "Two hours and it's a date."

After turning off her computer and checking her snail mail, Susanne left her office and flagged down a cab to take her to Stark Tower to find Bruce sitting on the steps. He looked much more mature wearing a button-down shirt, dress trousers, shoes and socks. She had never seen him wearing shoes before and his graying hair being brushed was also a nice touch. She would have to find another nickname for him. Nah!

"Doogie, you clean up well," she said. "How about Katz's Deli? The world's best pastrami."

"_When Harry met Sally_," said Bruce. "I don't spend all my time looking through an electron microscope."

"You have to decide whether you want to play by Tony's rules or find another place to work."

Bruce took her hand and lead her to the taxi stand. "You were hired by Tony that makes you biased."

"That means I have no obligation to you," she explained. "I'm talking to you as a friend. Dr. Banner, you can always return to medicine."

"And if it got out that I'm the Hulk, could you imagine the panic?"

"No matter what you do, people will panic."

"I can't stop working for S.H.I.E.L.D.," Bruce explained. "Tony is a free agent. I'm not. I don't play by their rules and I'm dead or worse. They run interference between governments and corporations that would love to get their hands on the Hulk. They were saving my ass in India, only I didn't know it. I prefer dead because that's over quickly. Worse can last years."

"But you can quit working for Tony anytime," she said, trying to understand.

"Yes, but since I'm stuck with S.H.I.E.L.D. or I lose their protection, working for Tony makes sense."

"Your cage was cozy when it was protecting you; now it isn't so cozy."

"It's a bit claustrophobic."

"Doogie, I don't know how to help you."

"You can help me integrate the Hulk's personality back into mine or, at least, teach Tony some behavior modification techniques to help him control the Hulk better. I would really like the Hulk to learn how to control himself better but that's pushing it."

"I'll have to see the Hulk. I hate to put your back in your cage, but you understand. I can be right outside the door. We'll need Tony to assist, so we'll have to schedule for another day."

The person in back of them in line said, "Hey, lady, do want a cab or not? Some of us are in a hurry."

"Go ahead," said Susanne, letting the other people pass.

"Thanks." Bruce looked at his loafers and the city sidewalk.

"While I was doing my research, I came across articles about the Hulk. He's gotten smarter over the years. So we may be able to teach him some control. Since I haven't heard anything outside of the normal Palestinian/Israeli conflict and no news is good news, I assume whatever top-secret stuff that went on over there ended up with the Avengers winning."

Bruce nodded.

"Cool. I like it when the good guys win. The Hulk behave himself? Not too much collateral damage?"

Bruce shrugged his shoulders.

"It must be terrible to be asked to fetch your alt then, when the battle is over, you wake up dazed and confused," Susanne had only treated one person who claimed to have DID and that was for one of the personalities nail-biting and other nervous habits. One of the other personalities was miserable because she couldn't have nice hands. Nothing like this. "That isn't fair to you. We should get back in line for a cab or we will never get that sandwich."

xxxx

Susanne had stopped eating awhile ago as she watched Bruce eat the last bit of his sandwich. "Katz's prides itself on having sandwiches so big no one can finish them."

Bruce took another sip of water. "Then I guess you won't be eating the rest of yours."

"Doogie, no wonder you were complaining that Tony doesn't pay you enough. You can easily eat your way through 5 figures and with New York food prices 6," she joked.

"He gives me a good salary," explained Bruce. "Tony is a lot of things, but cheap isn't one of them. You caught the tail end of the argument. A government agency other than S.H.I.E.L.D. asked me to do some work for them and I said yes. That's what started the whole all my work belongs to Tony unless I pay for my work space argument."

"I understand him wanting first bid on your work since you are using his work space, but you should stand up to him and tell him your name goes on the patents."

"My name is shit," said Bruce. "You're a psychologist and you learned that Bruce Banner is sometimes the Hulk. Even if I get cured or integrated or something tomorrow, my name will still be shit. Tony can patent anything he likes. I just want to be free to do projects for other people when they ask."

Susanne cringed on him calling his name shit twice. "We really have to work on your self-esteem."

"You're Tony's therapist, not mine."

"Tony hired me to be your therapist. We can fill out the paperwork after you finish eating the rest of my sandwich and pickle."

"OK."

Susanne looked at Bruce eating and got bored. Smiling to herself, she decided to do a little experiment. Why let Tony have all the fun?


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Sorry another short chapter.

Their next video chat, Tony was able to attend. Tony was in the Green Room with Bruce. No yoga mat on the floor this time. "Sorry, about the last appointment," said Tony, looking into the camera. "I had fires to put out at our California office. Pepper says I should go back to drinking. She says I'm moody."

"I'm sure she's teasing," said Susanne.

"I don't know," Tony looked like his was lost in thought for a split second. "I don't think she likes me sober."

"Why do you say that?"

"She's the friend that drank around me when I ran off to another AA meeting."

Susanne said, "You told me she went to Al-Anon. She can't have it both ways."

"Did I tell you I trashed my bar? The pieces were so small that the cleaning crew could have used a Dirt Devil to pick them up."

"A Dyson?" asked Susanne.

"No, one of those mini vacuums you stick onto the wall," said Tony. "What are you? Thor? The joke isn't funny if I have to explain it. We need a new therapist. One that gets my humor."

Susanne smiled. "Now that's funny. You called 4 people before me and I hung up on you."

Bruce said, "She took me out to lunch. We're keeping her."

"It wasn't anything," said Susanne. "You paid for your own lunch."

"You saw I was upset and you went out of your way to cheer me up," said Bruce. "I hope you didn't cancel any appointments because of me."

"A few," said Susanne. "I didn't realize we would be spending over two hours at the deli. Do you always eat so much?"

"My metabolism is fucked up to put it mildly," said Bruce. "You don't see it when you look at me, but my mitochondria say I'm the Hulk 24/7. I've teased the Avengers about not being easy to kill. I would probably starve to death real fast, but I wouldn't suggest it. No one wants to see a hungry Hulk."

"And you got enough calories in India?" asked Susanne.

"The Indians use ghee on everything," said Bruce. "And you can always dip your bread into ghee for more calories. Back to our lunch date, she took me to Katz's Deli like in _When Harry met Sally_ and I'm finishing her sandwich and she starts moaning and losing control of her body and I laugh so hard I fall out of my seat."

"He's needs to lighten up more," said Susanne. She had done a very bad Meg Ryan impersonation. Then it was a while since she saw the movie and sometimes doing a bad impersonation is better than doing a good one. However, Susanne did look like she was having an orgasm while watching Bruce eat.

"What if I broke my ass from the fall?" said Bruce. "I could have killed people."

Susanne said, "You didn't."

"Dr. Rosen, you're a dangerous women, making Dr. Banner fall on his ass in a crowded restaurant," Tony deadpanned.

"He needed a laugh," Susanne huffed.

Tony slapped Bruce on the back. "See. She doesn't get my humor."

"Well, after he got back in his seat, someone asked him if he wanted their half-eaten sandwich," said Susanne. "And Bruce says 'sure.' And the other person says 'What if I have AIDS?' Bruce says, 'I can't get AIDS.' Then less than a second later like he's correcting himself, he says, 'If you said you might have hepatitis then I might be worried. You can't get AIDS for eating a sandwich.' Then I started laughing."

Tony smiled. "Sounds like you had a great time."

Bruce said, "I can't believe people still think you can get AIDS from sharing food."

"And the Hulk is going to do public service announcements?" said Tony.

"No, but you can," said Bruce. "You're the one who had a press conference to tell people you're a superhero."

"Maybe, I will," said Tony. "It would get Pepper off my back."

"Bruce promised I could see the other guy once you were able to talk him down," said Susanne, over the computer link safe in her office. "Whenever you're game."

Bruce said, "I'm real tired after afterward, so I won't be up for talking. Good night, Susanne."

Tony backed away from Bruce. "Whatever you're ready."

Susanne adjusted her camera to get a good view of the transformation. Like the other times that Bruce was in the Green Room, he had on a tee shirt, pajama pants and no footwear. His eyes got green before anything else happened. Then it was faster than she expected. His body grew big and his face grew and morphed. His shirt stretched to its limit before ripping and falling off completely. The pajama bottoms ripped but stayed on. He was roaring, stamping the floor and looking around. Hard enough to put holes in a floor that wasn't reinforced.

He saw the monitor. "Susanne," said the Hulk's deep voice then a fist when through the screen. Broken glass rained down. The camera still held. She could see him but he now couldn't see her. He tossed one of the pillows in the room. He ripped another to pieces. Nice soft furniture that hopeful wouldn't hurt Tony must have been the reason for the oversized pillows.

Seeing that monster rip and roar, Susanne cringed. That wasn't just any monster - it was Bruce's alternate personality. His alt as she called it. The reason he was in therapy. He wanted to control that? She read about the Hulk, saw the news coverage about the alien attack on New York. However, her watching even Tony keep a respectful distance made it real.


	8. Chapter 8

The Hulk looked at Tony, appearing a bit calmer now.

"Hey, big guy," said Tony.

"Tony need help?" said the Hulk. "Hulk help."

"My friend Susanne wanted to meet you," explained Tony.

"Susanne behind glass. She no come out."

"She's in another room," explained Tony. "You broke the computer screen."

The Hulk roared.

"It's OK, big guy," said Tony. "She's gone. Just us now."

"Hulk go."

Tony put an arm around the Hulk as he calmed down more. Then then the Hulk got smaller. The ripped pants stayed on only because Bruce was sitting down at that point of the transformation.

"I recorded the session," said Susanne. "If that isn't OK, I'll destroy the video now."

"Keep it," said Tony, still holding his confused and tired friend. "Bruce may want to see it. It could be therapeutic. Big guy, how are you feeling?"

"I'm a bit out of it," Bruce said in a soft voice. He looked up at the broken monitor. "Sorry."

"I'll seal the next one into the wall," said Tony. "Even us geniuses can't think of everything. The other guy didn't try to leave. You spending time here told him it was a safe place to be."

"Doogie, do you feel up to talking?" asked Susanne.

Bruce yawned. "How long was I out?"

"A few minutes, the other guy tried to break me out of the monitor," said Susanne. "Then left. Tony handles the other guy real well. He could teach me a thing or two."

Tony smiled but his attention was on Bruce as it should be. "Your pants are probably going to fall down if you stand up. Do you want me to walk you over to the futon?"

Bruce held his pants up with one hand as Tony helped in onto the futon. By the time Tony found a blanket and placed in over Bruce, Bruce was asleep.

Tony said in a soft voice, "We can talk in another room. That way I can see your face."

After few minutes later, Tony was back. "Did you learn anything?"

"In many ways, the Hulk is a small child," said Susanne. "He tells you just what he's thinking. No jokes like you. Or game playing like someone else we know."

"The Hulk is very direct," Tony agreed.

"Are you still going to AA?" asked Susanne.

"I have a list of possible sponsors."

"Very good. I'm going to close your treatment plan, but if you need me, I'm here. Bruce's file is still open."

"I noticed. When you faxed me the bill, I had a form to sign, stating that I was responsible for payment. When did Bruce become my minor child?"

Susanne said, "Did I send you the wrong form?"

"It's a joke. You have to work on your sense of humor."

"I have a sense of humor. I call Bruce Doogie."

"You call him Doogie because it pisses him off."

"Touche," said Susanne. "And he didn't smash the walls because you were inside with him. If you were outside the room, he would have smashed down the door or made one of his own to get to you."

"Just call me Fay Wray."

"Does the Hulk response so well to the other Avengers?"

"He takes orders from Captain America, and Thor and the Hulk understand each other."

"Figures. They're both children."

"Hawkeye, he would probably take orders from, but I don't think he would take orders from Black Widow. She's tries to hide it but she fears the Hulk and the Hulk can smell fear," said Tony. "This stays between us."

"Mums the word." She put a finger of her lips.

"However, she was the one who wanted to watch_ 3 Faces of Eve_. I'm not the psychologist, so I don't know what that says about her. Should I be talking to you about this?"

"Bruce signed the paperwork saying I'm allowed to discuss his treatment with you. He was angry that you wouldn't let him work for other people and/or companies but he still trusts you completely. Bruce doesn't give his trust to just anyone. So it blows my mind that I have his full written permission to consult you regarding any issues with his care and management."

"How did I get to be the parent?" cried Tony. "I demand a recount."

Susan laughed.

"So you do have a sense of humor."

Susanne smiled. "I think Black Widow wanting to watch that movie means that she is trying to cope with her fear. Then again, I haven't met her and to assume makes an ass out of you and me."

"I hate to say good-bye, but I have deadlines to meet and experiments to run."

"Good luck, Mr. Stark."

"I don't need luck. I'm me." Tony gave her an evil grin.

They said good-bye one more time then Susanne closed her window. She would be seeing another client in less than fifteen minutes. In her spare milliseconds, she closed Tony's file like she said he would, faxing him the documents he needed to sign. She saw Bruce's alt today. Her other clients had normal problems like relationship problems, career problems or other problems coping with the little things life throws your way like a messy divorce. Nothing like this. The woman who didn't know why her husband left her just came in for her 50 minute hour.


	9. Chapter 9

Tony invited all the Avengers to his home in Malibu for a couple weeks of R & R. Like always the other Avengers got too much for Bruce and he went looking for a place to hide. He found a jigsaw, vice and other woodworking equipment in a forgotten area of the cellar. Howard must have bought those things to have quality time with his son. The amount of dust on them said they were opened but never used.

Dr. Leonard Samson, Betty's psychiatrist boyfriend had suggested that Bruce get a hobby like build birdhouses. Bruce laughed at the idea, but now that he was seeing a therapist using his energy for a building, instead of destroying, might be sound advice. Steve might want to get into the act. It might be good for team building. The equipment was at least 30 years old, but it was never used and, except for the dust, in great condition.

Bruce found a broom, dustpan and some old rags and got to work cleaning the equipment off. It was odd that Tony would have kept the stuff. Then maybe, Tony didn't hate his old man as much as he claimed. When Tony found him, he was sawing a piece of wood into two rectangles equal size for the sides of birdhouse.

"What you doing?" asked Tony.

"Being constructive instead of destructive," said Bruce. "I thought it would be good for my therapy."

"Don't spend all your time out here alone. We need to do team building and you're still have your appointments. That's the beauty of video cam sessions."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Bruce. Why did he agree to let Tony consult with Susanne? Because it was Tony's money and, if anything went wrong with his treatment, Nick could blame Tony. Bruce could say he had to go to continue his employment at Stark Industries. That was only if Nick had trouble with his therapy, which he didn't, yet. Also that way Tony could still talk to Susanne and not have to use his drinking as an excuse.

"You're trying to placate me," said Tony. "Your_ I get angry and destroy whole cities if I don't get my way_ number doesn't work on me because I know you won't destroy a whole city because I force you spend time with the other Avengers."

Bruce put the pieces of his future birdhouse on the cleared workbench and did a final check to make sure all the equipment was off. "I won't."

"No, you won't," Tony said. "People see this mild-mannered sweet guy, but you're an manipulative asshole when it suits you."

Bruce smiled. "I am."

"Yes, you are. I hope Susanne cures you because then you will have to learn to play fair."

"You don't." Play fair that is. Bruce's hand ran along the edge of the carpentry table. "Why do you still have this stuff?"

"When you have as much stuff as I have, you just tell the movers to pack it all. Then it gets unpacked at the new place. I should really catalog my stuff."

"All I own is my glasses, my stopwatch, my backpack and laptop and enough clothing for a week."

"You have a home with me. You can collect more stuff."

"And become a hoarder like you," Bruce teased. "No way, beside I know you. You have everything cataloged and indexed. You have this stuff here because you plan to do carpentry with your son."

Tony put up a fist. "Those are fighting words."

Bruce said in a soft voice, "You don't want to fight me."

"No way." Tony muffed Bruce's hair. "A lot of my stuff can't be replaced and Pepper would kill me for destroying my property, again. So you're safe."

"I'm safe? And I quote 'We have a Hulk.'"

Tony muffed Bruce's hair some more. "Well, let's eat. Steve and Clint are barbequing by the pool. It will be fun. Jane and Thor should also be arriving. Jane said she was bringing Darcy to even out the male-female ratio."

"Barbeque. I don't need to be told twice."

"You can be my support because Clint is on his second six-pack."

"Second?"

"Pepper and Natasha are helping," said Tony. "She had the nerve to say just because I'm in recovery doesn't mean she can't have a social drink once in awhile."

"I assume that's Pepper you're talking about."

"I don't think Thor is going to understand the whole recovering alcoholic thing," said Tony. "One drink is too many and a thousand not enough. I'm living it everyday."

Bruce teased, "You can join me in hiding. How long has it been?"

Tony took his hand as they starting heading back. "Two months, 3 days and it's around noon so that makes 13 hours and sixteen minutes since I took a slug of Clint's Miller Lite. If I knew that was going to be my last drink, I would have had some 50 year old scotch." Tony cringed. "I drank Miller Lite."

"Scary huh?"

Tony kept walking, holding Bruce's hand. "Terrifying. What is really scary is if I look at your stopwatch, I can tell you the seconds."

"That stopwatch is for me to monitor my heartrate, not so you can obsess over how many seconds it's been since your last drink."

xxxx

Author's Note: Tony would have told the story of him threatening Loki, at least, once, possibly, over Shawarma.


	10. Chapter 10

Jane hugged Bruce. "It's good to see you with clothes on."

"Thanks." Bruce blushed.

"Fury must hate when the Avengers have to subdue a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent," said Jane. "I like Corbert. I hope he gets better."

"Me, too."

"Darcy is a bit shaken up by the whole Corbert thing, so she's here, too, or will be if she can find her way back from the ladies room?"

Darcy ran over. "This place is huge. Hello, Dr. Banner. Why are you covered in sawdust?"

"I found woodworking equipment and was trying it out," Bruce explained.

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Darcy.

"The Avengers are here and you have your tazer should I cut my finger off and need subduing," Bruce teased.

Darcy said, "That isn't funny."

"I live in New York," said Bruce. "I, somehow, manage to get a cab and ride the subway without anyone dying. I've hadn't had an incident since the Helicarrier exploded around me. Since then, the Hulk has only come out to play when I've asked him."

Clint yelled, "Get it while it's hot!"

Bruce walked over to the grill and got two burgers and a bun. Then he put cheese, mustard and ketchup on his double-meat burger. Finally, he found a seat and started on his sandwich.

Darcy joined him with her single hot dog. "You could take another bun. It would be easier to eat."

Bruce took a big bite. "I'm good."

Darcy said, "Thanks, again, for saving my life."

"The Avengers are a team," said Bruce.

"When Corbert went after me, I didn't know if he was going to rape me or kill me. He had his hands on my shirt when you tackled him to the ground."

"My therapist has me watch tapes of the Hulk, but it's still kinda surreal to me." Bruce had seen the tape of Jane's lab from the beginning of the Corbert's ransacking the building until her camera failed. Corbert was so big that he gave the Hulk a piggyback ride. However, the Hulk was stronger. Then the other Avengers also did their parts.

"You're seeing a therapist; then go ahead use the carpentry equipment," said Darcy. "I stuck my foot in my mouth, didn't I?"

"I'm used to people treating me like I'm fragile," said Bruce. "Or worse, a time-bomb."

Steve sat down on the other side of Bruce with his pile of burgers.

"See Steve has one burger for each bun," teased Darcy.

Bruce finished off his burger and walked over to the fixings table. "I'll have a bun with no burger. Wouldn't want to throw the bun to burger ratio off."

"No, you wouldn't," teased Pepper, who was holding a beer. "Tony is quite anal." The beer in her hand couldn't have any thing to do with Tony being anal. Obviously not.

After sticking his tongue out at Darcy, he made himself a very messy cheese sandwich then he got himself 3 single meat hamburgers and put fixings on them. He returned to his seat by the pool.

Steve asked, "How's the therapy going?"

"We talk," said Bruce. "Since she has only filmed the Hulk once, we also looked at videos from the Chitauri invasion. She found a home video from when I battled the Abomination, but she says it's too distressing and it could cause me to backslid."

"You said _I_ not _the other guy_," commented Steve.

"I did." Bruce smiled. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"I'm no doctor," said Steve. "But the Hulk follows directions, not only follows directions but now looks at me for guidance. He's making amazing progress."

After eating his cheese sandwich then a burger, Bruce got a soda from the cooler. "So do you think Clint is happy about bringing his own beer?"

"Not really," said Steve. "Especially since Pepper and Natasha are drinking it all. I don't drink, so I'm happy with all the flavors of soda pop Tony brought."

"If I become big all the time, you won't treat me like Corbert?"

"Only if you try to rape Darcy, then watch out." Steve smiled. "Big or small, you're one of the good guys. Did you see that thing on Corbert? He could have ripped Darcy in two." There Steve went pulling his foot in his mouth, yet, again.

"I'm sure Darcy doesn't want to hear about it," said Bruce.

Steve saluted Darcy. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Thanks to the Hulk," said Darcy. "I didn't even need a stitch, but I'll never forget that look in Corbert's eyes. Bruce, will your therapist mind if I ask to borrow her?"

"She's in New York. We have our sessions by video cam, but I can hold your hand while you talk to her if you want," suggested Bruce.

Thor and Erik arrived with more beer. After tossing her empty in the recycle bin, Pepper redirected Tony by sitting on his lap. Didn't she realize she was part of the problem? Bruce just shrugged his shoulders and returned to eating his burgers.

After lunch, Bruce called Susanne. "I know my appointment isn't until Monday, but my friend could use some crisis intervention."

"Tony?" asked Susanne over the phone.

"No, Darcy Lewis," explained Bruce. "She was attacked by a 20 foot man. His size alone destroyed the lab and Jane was very lucky to have off-site backups of her work. He went after Darcy and she tries to sound brave, but I know she's hurting."

Later that day, Darcy and Bruce sat on the bed in Bruce's bedroom in the mansion. After he used the wireless mouse to open the video chat, he held Darcy as she told Susanne what happened and cried.

Author's Note: I only know the Avengers from the movie, but I found Gargantua in Wikipedia and decided to use name Corbert because I'm lazy.


	11. Chapter 11

The following morning, Bruce woke up to find Darcy still wrapped in his arms. "Morning, sunshine," he teased.

"You sleep good?" she asked.

He nodded. "You?"

"It's nice having a gay friend, especially one that lets you borrow their therapist on a Saturday."

"Tony gets the bill. Could you, please, get up? I need to use the little boy's room." Just because, Bruce didn't have sex for ten years - a decade - didn't mean his body wasn't going to react like any other man's. He brushed his hair, brushed his teeth and tried to ignore his erection. Finally, while he was using mouthwash, it went down. Then he peed and returned to see Darcy sitting up in his bed. "Why do you say I'm gay?"

"Everyone knows you're Tony Stark's boytoy. It must eat you up inside to see Pepper pawing him like that."

"It hurts but I'm used to it," Bruce admitted.

"After breakfast, we can use the woodworking equipment you found."

"Aren't you worried?" he asked.

"No way. You aren't going to kill me after saving my life," said Darcy. "You have it under control, right? You hammering your thumb or getting a splinter won't set you off?"

Bruce smiled to make her feel better. "It takes a lot more than that."

Steve and Pepper were the only ones that appeared up already. Pepper said, "The Golden Grahams are Bruce's. He eats a whole box some mornings."

"Just Golden Grahams?" asked Darcy.

"He'll eat any sugar-coated cereal," said Pepper.

Bruce poured himself a bowl and pretended the women weren't talking about him like he wasn't there.

After Darcy got her coffee, she sat beside him. "Do you always eat a lot or is it because you were the other guy a few days ago?"

"I always eat a lot," said Bruce.

"Oh," said Darcy.

Steve said, "I'm making pancakes. Do you want any?"

"Sure," said Bruce. "I can have cold cereal any day."

Darcy put the box back on the shelf, so she would have an clear view of her hero. "Steve, I'll have some, too."

Pepper took her coffee into the other room. "A vacation for Tony means more work for me. Have fun, kids."

Bruce let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "She acts all nice but I think it's because she knows I can tear her limb from limb. She says they have an open relationship, but it must hurt her that Tony gave up drinking for me and he wouldn't do that for her."

"I wouldn't have your control," said Darcy. "I would get all green in her face."

"Then I'm glad you're not me." Bruce went into the refrigerator to get orange juice, took a glass from the cabinet and poured himself an glass. "Steve, Darcy, would you like some?"

"I'll get some later," said Steve, watching for bubbles on his pancakes.

Darcy said, "I'm fine with the coffee."

Bruce returned the orange juice carton to the refrigerator. After Bruce sat down with his cup of OJ, Steve flipped the pancake.

Steve gave Darcy the first two pancakes. "Ladies, first."

"Thank you, Captain Rogers." Darcy smiled.

Bruce got up to get the syrup then handed it to her.

Steve said, "You aren't sleeping with Tony. That's just an ugly rumor."

"Yeah, it's rumor," said Bruce. "But we've lusted in our hearts and it's just as bad."

Steve let out a huff as he went back to making his pancakes.

"You've never slept with Peggy," said Bruce.

"Didn't get the chance," said Steve. "But I so wanted to."

"Then you know all about lust." Bruce wasn't about to tell the other Avengers that he was the true _master of his own domain_ because the last time his hand knew his lower parts he found himself naked miles away from his now destroyed hut. After collecting his laptop and anything else he could from his destroyed hut, he had told himself that he would need to learn to live without sex then he made the hike to find somewhere else to live. He wondered why didn't try to kill himself then, but something made him keep going. "We can't have sex because my heartrate goes up and I become the other guy."

Steve simply said, "Wow."

Darcy poured syrup on her pancakes. "That is so romantic. You have never been intimate and yet he loves you enough to lay his pride on the line."

Steve said, "I'm going to threw up."

"The next batch of pancakes is mine. So if you're going to throw up, please, turn the other way." Bruce looked at his hand holding the glass. "Why did Corbert do it? He knows what happened to me. We didn't work together, but we're both part of S.H.I.E.L.D. With the destruction of the lab, it will be days or weeks before we know anything. And Fury has forbidden me to go anywhere near the lab. You would think he would want me on the team, but I'm stuck here doing team building exercises."

"Bruce, go," said Steve.

"Fury thinks I'm weak because I'm under a psychologist's care." Bruce took a calming breath, knowing his pulse was rising. However, he didn't break the glass he was holding - that was a good. "Any green?"

Darcy looked at him. "A bit in your eyes."

Bruce breathed through his diaphragm and let it out slowly.

"All better," said Darcy. "It's too raw for you. You almost lost it just talking about Corbert."

"I did," said Bruce.

Steve said, "Your pancakes are done."

Bruce took the plate from the counter, placed on the table and sat down to eat. "Thank you, Steve."

"No syrup?" teased Steve.

Bruce chewed and swallowed a mouthful of pancake. "You know me, Steve. I'm not fussy when it comes to food." Then he drank some juice to wash down the dry pancake.

Darcy got up and opened the refrigerator. "No skim milk."

"I drink whole," said Steve.

After swallowing a mouthful of food, Bruce said, "I do, too."

"As the only one in the kitchen, who wasn't exposed to supersolider serum, I can get fat in my arteries," said Darcy.

"Sorry, Nat and Pepper don't drink milk," said Bruce. "Pepper will put cream in her coffee but she isn't one to drink the big glass of milk before going to bed."

"Drink something else," said Steve.

Darcy poured herself a glass of orange juice, but Bruce could see on her face that she wasn't happy. "At least, being around you two, I won't get fat because there won't be any food left for me. And I thought Thor was bad."

"I was a little guy before so I assumed my increased appetite was normal until Peggy tells me my metabolism is 4 times that of a normal man," said Steve. "The sad thing was I wasn't eating a pile of burgers when she told me. I was failing at getting drunk."

"Darcy, you aren't fat," said Bruce. "I think you're very nice looking."

"Since you're gay; thus, don't have any ulterior motives for complimenting me, I'll take that in the spirit it was given," Darcy said, "Thank you, Bruce."

After breakfast, Bruce changed into his swim trunks to find Jane and Thor already splashing in the water. Thor had on swim trunks, which meant Jane must have gave him the lecture about Pepper not approving of skinny dipping. Thor looked more like a god, wearing nothing but wet clingy trunks, than he did in his armor.

While Bruce was climbing down the ladder, trying to adjust to the water temperature, a tidal wave of pool water came his way, soaking him.

Jane yelled, "Thor!"

Bruce shook out his hair like a dog. "All good."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Banner," said Jane. "He's like a child at times."

Thor was still laughing. "You look like a wet puppy."

Bruce stood in shallow end. "Miss Foster, I work with him, so I'm used to it."

Later, that day, Steve had them do calisthenics in the pool as a team building exercise. Although Jane and Darcy weren't Avengers, they joined in the fun. After a minute or two, Bruce climbed out of the pool to watch. Watching his heartrate meant no strenuous exercise. From his chair, he smiled at Darcy.

Afterward, Darcy said, "Let's get some clothes on and start building some birdhouses."


	12. Chapter 12

Sunday afternoon Erik left. Jane and Darcy decided to stay the whole two weeks since, thanks to Corbert, their lab was trashed. Bruce's Monday appointment came. After hello, Susanne asked, "How's Darcy?"

"Good, we played in the water and started building birdhouses together. Her birdhouses is better than mine. Then again, she's a better carpenter than I because I haven't done woodworking since one of my foster fathers wanted some quality time with me. She helped me a lot with mine. Having Darcy help me like that made me think I should have an assistant. I didn't realize how much I missed working with Betty." Bruce wiped a tear off his face.

"I'm sure Tony will let you have an assistant," Susanne said.

"Yes, Tony will and Nick Fury will yell something about it not being safe," said Bruce. "And Tony will say he can hire whoever he wants and will override Fury."

"Doogie, you have been seeing me for over two months now, and I think you are ready for a little homework. You need to build your self-esteem. I want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself how great you are."

"Tony told me to do the same thing, and I laughed."

"Look at that handsome face in the morning and say, 'I'm great,' or you can say, 'I'm wonderful.' It's going to seem silly at first but you will start to believe it."

"I can't. My self-doubt keeps everyone safe."

"You really believe that?"

Bruce nodded. "I had an incident this weekend."

"Did you hurt anyone?"

"The other guy wanted to come out, but I pushed him back," Bruce explained. "I was angry that Fury insisted that I go to California when Corbert treated himself with some sort of formula that made him grow 20 feet tall. Darcy told you what happened."

"Some sort of formula," repeated Susanne. "Is that medical jargon?"

"It means I don't know what he injected himself with because Fury won't let me near the lab and, if I did, I wouldn't be telling you anyway for security reasons," Bruce explained. "Back to the near incident, Steve was being his usual homophobic self and, with Darcy, saying how nice it was to have a gay friend to confide in and me thinking about Corbert experimenting on himself, I was feeling a lot of anger."

"Doogie, you shouldn't be beating yourself up because you had a near incident. A miss is as good as a mile. You should be proud of yourself for talking yourself down and keeping the other guy from coming out."

"I deep breathed myself down actually. I'm glad I was able to run off to my appointment because Tony and Steve were talking military tactics. I was totally lost. It was like they were speaking another language. Worse. I'm good with languages. I can say, 'Where does it hurt?' in a dozen languages."

"You're kidding."

Bruce shook his head. "You know I went to Medical School in San Salvatore - Spanish. I lived in Brazil - Portuguese. I helped out during an Ebola epidemic in East Africa, but I didn't stay long enough to learn more than a few sayings in Swahili. I helped out in an AIDS hospice in Kenya. I ended up in India helping out during a influenza epidemic - Hindi. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. stole all my passports, I'll need a new alias if I ever return to medicine."

"Are you planning on leaving?"

"Not at the moment. Darcy needs me." Bruce smiled. It was nice to be feel wanted. "I like to keep my options open."

"Ebola?" Susanne repeated. "You can't get sick, can you? That's why you fell over your words when that stranger offered you food."

"I wore protective gear," said Bruce. "It isn't like I would tell anyone I can't get sick because I have radioactive blood - that my blood would kill any germ stupid enough to infect me."

"What about the bacteria in your gut?"

"Those bacteria changed with the gamma radiation like the rest of me. Complex organisms are basically groups of cells. It isn't like one group of cells is me and another isn't. Let's take this as a given unless you want to spend Tony's money on me giving you a lesson in biological systems."

"OK," said Susanne. "Your helper bacteria are still alive and going about their business because they're part of the complex system known as Bruce Banner. Any microorganism that isn't part of that system is hosed. Got it. Moving on."

Bruce went back to talking about what happened Sunday morning. "When I had my incident on the Helicarrier, I was upset by everyone questioning my stability, especially since they were the ones that removed me from India, so the ship falling apart around me added injury to insult." The cliche was insult to injury but Bruce had an injury added to the insults he had previously received. "This time I worked myself up after being insulted by Steve and belittled by Darcy. What I really hate is Fury called me volatile and my near incident proved it. I am too volatile to investigate the Corbert's lab, even though I'm probably the only person that can give Fury the answers he needs."

"Do you want me to call Nick Fury?" Susanne asked.

"No, I get my shrink to call and he will really think I'm unstable," explained Bruce. "I need to handle this myself."

"People see psychologists all the time," said Susanne. "It doesn't mean you're unstable."

"Other people don't change into rage monsters," said Bruce. "So your argument is invalid."

"Point taken. Bruce, why do you think your low self-esteem is good for the health and safety of others? Don't you think a Bruce that likes himself would be more able to deal with stress?"

"I don't know. Maybe, I'm worried if I like myself too much I won't place the needs of others ahead of myself."

"That isn't true. No one likes themselves more than your friend Tony and he helps people everyday. As Ironman, all the charities he supports, the list goes on and on."

Bruce took a deep breath since he wasn't in the green room. "I'm not Tony." The green room was back in New York and he was on the other side of the country in California.

"I didn't say you were. You're Bruce. I didn't take you out to lunch to convince you to get treatment. I took you out to lunch because I saw you were sad. I like you. I just wish you would like yourself a bit more."

Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "I'll say 'hi beautiful' to my reflection and see how it goes."

Susan smiled. "That's all I ask."


	13. Chapter 13

After Bruce finished his appointment, Steve and Tony were still in the living room, talking military stuff. Clint and Natasha were more holding hands and giving each other longing looks then listening. Thor appeared to be listening to learn more about how the Misgard military works. Tony turned on a touch screen on the glass table and started drawing a map. "Steve, the tanks go here, here..."

"What are these tanks?" asked Thor.

"All-terrain vehicles," said Steve. "We used them a lot in World War 2. They were called tanks because we wanted the Germans to think we were using them to carry water."

"What do they carry?" asked Thor.

"Soldiers and guns," said Steve.

Tony put an arm on Bruce's back. "You need to learn a bit of strategy, too."

"When the other guy is smart enough to use a strategy other than smash everything in sight, he'll listen in," said Bruce. "Until then, I'm going to find Darcy and enjoy my vacation."

"You can sit on my lap and enjoy my company," said Tony.

"I'm not a Pepper substitute." Bruce pulled away from Tony. "You can't have me in your lap one second then Pepper pawing you the next. It isn't fair to either of us."

"Whoa," said Clint, so he was listening.

"Good-bye, Tony." Bruce started heading toward the door. His secret might have been letting himself feel his anger, so he didn't blow like a pressure cooker without a safety valve, but staying out of high stress situations also helped. Boy, was he feeling his anger now.

After leaving the living room, Bruce checked his pulse.

Clint said, "You should find yourself another boyfriend - someone who doesn't expect you to share. I know you think you have it all under control, but jealousy is never a good thing."

Jealousy is called the green monster. Not that he was jealous, Bruce just didn't want Tony putting their affection on display. He liked Pepper and wanted Pepper in Tony's life as strange as that sounded. "Are you offering?"

"Nay, I'm straight."

Bruce smiled, "As straight as an arrow."

"This is California. If you can't find a boyfriend here, you aren't looking hard enough."

"I'll keep that in mind." Bruce didn't want another boyfriend. Romance was bad for him; it led to his heart racing. He didn't think Tony wanted a boyfriend either. He was just a joke to Tony and it was no longer funny. "Do you know where Darcy is?"

"I haven't seen her since breakfast," admitted Clint. "If she's in the house, Jarvis can find her."

After returning to his bedroom, Bruce called Nick about Corbert. "If you still don't have answers after I get back from Avengers' boot camp, I'll look over the forensics."

"I'll fax you what we have so far," said Nick.

"Thank you." Bruce gave Nick the number for the fax line then his connected his laptop to the printer/fax machine/scanner. When Jarvis announced dinner, Bruce was still reading documents. Tony better not call him a workaholic because Tony should have postponed Avengers' boot camp until all the loose ends around the Corbert case were neatly tied.

Dinner was only Steve, Darcy and Bruce. Tony and Pepper invited Thor and Jane and Clint and Natasha out to a fancy restaurant.

While looking around the kitchen, Darcy said, "I asked Jarvis where you were after your appointment and he said your room. You would have stayed in your room all night if I didn't have Jarvis announce dinner. What happened?"

"Tony was a jerk," Bruce explained. "He wanted me on his lap when everyone saw Pepper in that position all weekend. I needed some cool down time."

"Then it's over between you two."

"To be over, it had to have started," said Bruce. "The three of us can go to a bar. Do you drink something stronger than ginger ale?"

"Sometimes, but tonight I won't," said Darcy.

"I don't drink either," said Steve.

"A bar is out," said Darcy. "We can go to the beach and people watch."

Bruce should spend the evening, looking over the notes Fury gave him. However, he was upset since he told Tony to hit the road then Tony went out with Pepper and the two other couples like nothing happened. He couldn't blame Tony that much since dinner was probably Pepper's idea. She would want Jane to show Thor how people on Midgard date. Then they had to invite Clint and Natasha. Natasha may have said, "Love is for children," but she and Clint had something going on and it appeared to be working for them.

Bruce didn't know if Steve was dating someone and wasn't in the stage in their relationship to invite her for a two week vacation or if he was between girls. When Tony had Avengers' game night or movie night, Steve never talked about anyone. However, Bruce didn't get into anyone's business and hoped they would stay out of his. Still Steve was the youngest Avenger and had his whole life ahead of him. Tony called him Grandpa and but how old was Steve? 24, 25? Since Bruce wasn't going to ask Steve or anyone else about their love life, Bruce made small talk. "I called Fury and he's letting me consult on the Corbert case."

"Good for you," said Steve.

Darcy added, "You'll know what shit Corbert used on himself in no time."

"I can't cure myself." Bruce could get to work deciphering the notes and lab photos tomorrow morning. "How am I going to cure Corbert?"

"You won't be working alone this time," said Darcy.

"Thanks for being a friend," said Bruce.

"It works both ways." Darcy, hugging Bruce, said, "We can buy tacky souvenirs and act totally like tourists. What do you say, Steve? Sound like fun?"

"I can watch you two hold hands all night," said Steve. "Real fun."

"Steve, you need to date," said Darcy.

"Tony showed me Match dot com or some other dating site," said Steve. "Girls are so forward. I've always been on the shy side when it comes to dames, and girls talk about sex more than guys and that isn't proper."

"Steve, if it makes you feel better, I'm a virgin," said Darcy. "Not every woman out there wants to force you into bed the first date."

"Bruce?" asked Steve.

"I was in my twenties when I lost my virginity, so if we don't count the time you spent on ice, I would say I was about your age," Bruce said thinking about Betty. He wondered if she was married now. Since she must have seen the Hulk on television, her silence could only mean she didn't want to contact him. "Steve, just because today's society seems to scream sex doesn't mean your morals are a bad thing."

"Tony is a total man-whore. Don't let what he says bother you," said Darcy.

"Darcy, you're a virgin?" Steve said.

"What of it?" Darcy glared up at Steve.

"Nothing," said Steve. "Let's grab a pizza."

xxxx

"We walked on the beach," Bruce told Susanne, fingering the small vial holding a grain of rice with his name on it. "I was carrying mine and Darcy's shoes and had an arm around Darcy. I didn't think about the paperwork waiting on my laptop once. I really enjoyed the feel of sand between my toes.

"Darcy made us get tacky souvenirs. Steve said, since the three of us of have five letter names, we should make her work. And he tells the lady write, 'Bruce hearts Darcy'. Darcy punched him on the arm. For the next ten minutes or so - it felt longer - he was singing, 'Bruce and Darcy sitting in a tree.'"

"It's good to see you happy," said Susanne. "Steve is the leader of the Avengers?"

"He led a unit in the military," said Bruce. "Tony and Steve butt heads off the field, but in battle what Steve says goes.

"Did you do your homework?" asked Susanne

"I said 'hi, beautiful' to my reflection, but it feels silly."

"If it doesn't, you're not doing it right," said Susanne. "When you get back to New York, we have get to the hard stuff. I want to see a bit of green in your eyes. If you become the other guy, our session is over, so I want you to fight and win."

"The hard stuff," said Bruce.

"How you feel about your father? What you remember about your mother's death? You can't make progress until you face your demons. But right now, enjoy California. And smile at yourself."

"I'll try."

"It will get harder before it gets easier."

Susanne talked to him a bit more about the beach and Darcy before disconnecting. When he wasn't working for Fury, trying to piece together what happened in Corbert's lab, Bruce was doing something with Darcy. Bruce wasn't a forensics scientist and this was a bit out if his league; however, it was like solving a puzzle and he always liked puzzles.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Sorry, another short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer.

xxxx

Clint found them standing near a picnic table on the beach. The table was covered in a drop cloth and Bruce and Darcy were painting their birdhouses. When Clint got close enough, Bruce painted Clint's nose blue with the tip of his brush. "Are you part Smurf?"

Darcy said, "I think yellow would go nice with that blue."

"Don't you paint me," said Clint.

"Why not?" said Bruce, who had paint all over his clothes and a smudge or two on his face. "Are you going to stop me?"

"I'm not Tony," said Clint. "I don't play your games."

"Tony was the one who wanted me on his lap," said Bruce. "I just told him no."

Clint said, "You two are acting like kids."

"Tony has been coming onto me for months and I made it quite clear to him that I would never sleep with him," explained Bruce. "However, if he wanted to shower me with gifts in the hopes that I would change my mind, that was his problem."

"But you were letting him hug and kiss you until this week," said Clint.

"Darcy called me Stark's boytoy," said Bruce. "I'm nobody's boytoy. I can't control that, when the other guy becomes me, what's left of my ripped clothes falls off, but I don't have to look for other ways to be embarrassed."

"Are you going to pay for your lab space then?"

"No way. Tony pays me a good salary for my work. We are very close to patenting a few products that I'm not in the position to divulge." A high temperature superconductor and few less exciting products that also had high-earning potential. Top secret stuff. Bruce was doing real science and getting pay for it. "He has rooms for all the Avengers in the tower. You guys just never used them. Because I chose to live in the room Tony designated for me doesn't make me his mistress or boytoy."

Clint said, "Actually, it does."

"I don't sleep in his bed or even in the penthouse. My apartment is on the same floor as my lab."

"Tony has access to you 24/7."

"You act like I have a choice," said Bruce. "Nat was the one who informed me that S.H.I.E.L.D. kept governments/organizations from capturing me. I refuse to play by Fury's rules and either he puts me in a cage or he lets somebody else try. And nobody wants that."

"Do you really think Fury would let me go?" said Clint. "We're more alike then you think. Ms. Lewis, you aren't hearing this."

"I heard nothing. I'm just innocently painting my birdhouse a pretty yellow." Darcy said talking with her hands while holding her paintbrush, accidentally painting a yellow strip down Clint's shirt. "Sorry. It should wash off."

After dropping her paintbrush onto the drop cloth, Darcy grabbed an empty bucket and ran to the ocean to fill it with water than returned with the bucket.

"Don't you pour that on me." Clint took a towel and dipped it into the water to wash his nose. Then he started washing his shirt with the same towel.

Bruce started laughing. "You're getting the blue into the yellow. People are going to think I'm contagious."

"Is my face clean?" asked Clint.

Darcy touched his face with her paint-covered hands. "All better."

Bruce started laughing even harder.

"I'm going back to the house to wash up properly," said Clint.

Darcy was giggling so hard that she was panting.

"You really shouldn't do that." Then Bruce whispered in her ear. "He's an assassin."

"I have the Hulk to protect me," said Darcy, still giggling. "You painted his nose first."

"The other Avengers usually let me get my way because they rather not deal with the other guy. And I only use my advantage on little things since Fury has no problems with putting me in a cage. Unlike Tony, I know where to draw the line."

"Or paint it."


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: I love the movie_ Hulk_. I liked it more than _The Incredible Hulk_. I love the idea of the accident really being an accident since a respectable scientist would never experiment on himself. We don't know what was in those nanomeds, so they can be supersoldier serum. The only thing about the movie_ Hulk_ I didn't like was Bruce having a name other than Banner, so I changed him from being adopted to being a foster child.

xxxx

After Avengers' boot camp was over, Tony had told Susanne that he would be spending more time in California, but he would attend, at least, one of Bruce's session a week, even if he had to make a special trip for it. Susanne could only ask Bruce about the hard stuff with Tony there because Tony was Bruce's anchor. Without Tony, the Hulk might escape the tower and cause possible death and destruction.

Susanne asked after the hellos, "Bruce, is it OK if I talk to Tony alone?"

Bruce nodded.

"Five minutes then come back in," said Susanne.

Bruce left the room.

"Tony, will Bruce's alt be OK when he sees you? Bruce told me about you asking him to sit on your lap and him saying no."

"The Hulk hasn't come out to play since the Corbert incident," said Tony. "Your guess is as good as mine. But Bruce and I are good. We talked and he said that we're friends and that he will always love me. We were talking strategy and I was thinking of me when I should have thought of Bruce. When we fight everyone puts on their best face forward, except Bruce. He gets exposed like a raw nerve. I've had a lot on my mind - there is going to be another alien attack and we need to be ready."

"We ready?"

"Thor has over a thousand years military experience and he finally got back from Asgard," said Tony. "My ego says us humans need to fight our own battles, but you have take every advantage you're given. We're as ready as we'll ever be."

"How are you managing?" Susanne was asking about his drinking or lack of the same, but if Tony was having trouble managing his emotions regarding the upcoming attack on Earth. Then she wanted to hear that, too.

"As I said on our first phone conversation, adrenaline is my drug of choice. And with the aliens coming and the normal Earth conflicts, I get plenty of that. I'm finding other ways to calm down now that drinking isn't an option."

"Such as?"

"Sex is a good one. Pepper likes that one, too. Watching movies or playing video games is good when Pepper isn't home or in the mood. Bruce doesn't have my reflexes so he always loses in video games unless I handicap myself, but he'll watch a movie with me."

Susanne said, "Jarvis, you can ask Bruce to return."

"As you wish, ma'am."

Bruce returned. "Did you have a nice talk?"

"We did," said Susanne. "Tony says you watch movies together. What kind of movies do you like?"

"Comedies. The occasional drama," explained Bruce, holding his elbows. "Tony likes action films. Action films make me uncomfortable. He understands, so we watch stuff like _Police Academy_ and _Stripes_. Tony is a total adrenaline junkie and the other guy does adrenaline for me. I don't have sex, don't exercise. I don't do a lot of things normal people do."

Susanne said, "Tony needs to stay, but, Tony, feel free to sit on the futon or a pillow."

Tony took a seat away from the camera.

"Bruce, do you mind?" asked Susanne.

"I mind a lot of things," admitted Bruce, "but I agreed to give Tony full access to my care and management. So he gets to talk to you alone, but I don't. Then he isn't the one that has the anger management issues."

"We're here to talk about the hard stuff," said Susanne. "I don't want you backing away or changing the subject. Keep going."

"Now that we're back home, let's talk." Bruce sat on the floor and looked up at the camera.

Remembering the man she saw in California a man in cut-off shorts and a tee shirt, stretched out on a queen-sized bed in a room with the latest technical gadgets, Susanne hated seeing the man in the oversized loose clothing and bare feet. He was her Doogie, again.

"Steve, Thor and Tony talked war while the others listened. Steve has an eidetic memory. That's why Steve can fly, drive, operate any vehicle, use any computer when he is shown once. When Tony met me, he said I spoke English. I sat there and acted like I understood what they were talking about until it was time for my appointment. I don't want aliens to take over the world and we don't know how much of what I hear gets through to the other guy, but if I'm lost. Thor can ask a hundred questions and he, probably, came close."

"67," said Tony. "Sorry. I'll go back to my corner."

"But I'm not the one fighting, so I don't feel I belong there. I feel like an intruder, an imposter, a fake and it makes me uncomfortable," Bruce squirmed a bit like he was trying to make his oversized shirt lay right. "Uncomfortable isn't good for me. I know I can control it, but why sit there and meditate when it is easier to leave the room?"

"You're an Avenger," said Susanne. "You belong there."

"I'm not an Avenger." Bruce took a deep breath. "The other guy is. I want nothing more than to have the other guy become the adrenaline rush I feel when I'm excited, scared or angry. I want to stay in my lab and work on the next great thing. I'm not Tony, who built himself a yellow and red suit to fly around and stop people from killing each other. I don't want to be a hero."

Bruce checked his pulse.

"How are you doing?" asked Susanne. "We want you just below your maximum stress level. Neither Tony or I want the other guy to visit."

"OK," said Bruce.

Susanne would push header then. "You wanted to be a hero. I read your files - all the bread crumbs you had me follow. You were working on cellular regeneration. You injected yourself with a deadly serum then exposed yourself to deadly levels of radiation because your animal experiments were going nowhere. You should have died that night. Did I say deadly enough? So stop feeding me shit. I am not a mushroom."

Bruce just looked at her. "What do you want me to say?"

"Defend yourself. You're a smart man. Not as smart as your Avenger friends, but smart enough." She had nerve to tell a man that went to college at 14 that he was only smart enough, but she wanted to push him out of his comfort zone. Make him fight to keep control. Not lose control, just fight to maintain it.

"It was an accident. Please, don't push me anymore." Tears rolled down Bruce's cheeks as he sat on the floor with his hands covering his face. "Betty and I just watched a frog explode. I wouldn't do that to myself. A lab assistant got stuck in the reactor. I pulled him out. I never experimented on myself."

Tony run over to his friend to cuddle him. "You're a hero, throwing yourself in front of the reactor to save a colleague."

"You either shot yourself full of drugs on purpose or used the reactor on purpose." Susanne had been in labs and no one was that careless. She supposed, if the machine that hosed him with radiation had also injected him with serum, it was possible it was an accident - unlikely, but possible. "If you were that big of a klutz, no one would let you near dangerous equipment."

Bruce smiled through the tears. "I was having a bad day."

"You said you did this to yourself," said Susanne. "I'm confused."

"I was a total klutz." Bruce wiped the tears off his cheeks and leaned against Tony then put his hands over Tony's hands. Bruce rocked back and forth a little. "You said so yourself. I don't know how I could have panicked like that. I had a deer caught in headlights moment. Anyone else would have died."

"If he did it on purpose, he wouldn't call it the accident," said Tony. "Bruce doesn't mince words."

"Bruce, did the U.S. Government really try to vivisect you?" Susanne asked.

Bruce nodded as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Oh my God," said Susanne. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine. I thought you were joking when you said dead is over quickly; worse can last years."

"They let the other guy go," said Bruce. "I have to assume he was damaging the underground lab so much that he would have buried them all underneath the rumble because they wouldn't just let him go. All I know was I was in an underground lab where they were going to keep me for the rest of my life and the next moment I'm free." "

"Being in that underground facility made you feel safe," said Susanne. "You're upset that the other guy took that away from you."

"The only guy likes freedom and power," said Bruce. "Back then it was all so new. I didn't realize that the other guy had thoughts of his own. I thought they were my thoughts. Messed up, huh?"

"No, you had to redefine your boundaries."

"I haven't let anyone in until Tony," admitted Bruce.

She meant the boundaries inside him, but she would let Bruce slide since she was kind of hard on him today.

Tony, still cradling Bruce in his arms, kissed Bruce's thick curly brown hair on the top of his head. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

Bruce said, "I shouldn't have acted the way I did."

"Honey," said Tony. "You had every right to be upset. I wasn't seeing things from your eyes."

"I don't know what Thor said to Jane, but, somehow, Darcy thinks I'm your boytoy," explained Bruce. "Steve asking about our relationship I understand, but I never met Darcy before the other guy rescued her. I should have said something before blowing up in front of the others."

"You spoke in a soft voice," said Tony. "I would hardly call you telling me where you stand blowing up."

"The other Avengers know, if I was boiling inside, the other guy would come out, so they know that I'm either holding myself back or I'm not all that angry," said Bruce. "Thor came make lightening appear and no worries about his emotions like everyone worries about mine."

"That isn't true," said Tony. "I worry about Thor's emotions. Thor struck me with lightening when we first met then he got nasty."

"But you also worry about mine," said Bruce.

"Because I want you to be happy," said Tony. "It's part of being a friend. I pay for your therapy because I want you to have a fuller life. I hate that there are so many things you can't do, so many things you can't experience. Fury wants me to keep tabs on you, but he can stick it where the sun don't shine. I want you to go to the beach with Darcy and build sandcastles."

Bruce sounded sad, again. "Now she's back in New Mexico and I'm here."

"If she likes you, she'll call," said Tony. "It's too bad her specialty is astrophysics and you need someone with experience in material science. Hopefully, we can find you an assistant you like just as much since I will be spending more time in California and you need someone to bounce ideas off."

"Did Fury say anything?" asked Bruce.

Susanne wondered, if Bruce was worried, that Fury might not approve of Tony being in California with Bruce on the other coast. Bruce appeared to like being in a cage and seemed angry the Hulk forced him out of his first cage, which wasn't surprising since Bruce wanted people to be safe, even at his own expense. She really had to work on his self-esteem.

"I don't need his approval on how I run my company," said Tony. "I'll contact the headhunters. You'll need to set up the appointments."

"I should go," said Susanne.

"We can talk a bit longer," said Bruce. "Until Steve asked about it, I was flattered that I was thought of as a sex object. Me - a sex object - what a joke."

"Bruce, why is it a joke?" asked Susanne. "You're handsome and you're smart and funny."

"Before the accident, Betty called me emotionally distant," said Bruce. "Now I can't have sex, so what's the point? You want muck. I have muck so deep you need a steam shovel to dig it out. Even if I didn't change into the other guy, I would be messed up. Susanne, you got your wish. You found the man in the beast."

"Doogie, I've always seen the man," Susanne said.

xxxx

Tony walked Bruce over to the futon and they did some deep breathing exercises before Susanne said good-bye. After Susanne was gone, Tony put a hand on Bruce's back and made small circles. "Honey, we worry about your emotions, not because of the other guy. We worry because you told everyone that you swallowed a bullet."

"You haven't told Susanne," said Bruce.

"I won't," said Tony, adding mentally_ unless you force my hand. Then I'm going to do everything in my power to save your life._


	16. Chapter 16

Author's note: Only a few more chapters. Thanks for the reviews, favorites and story alerts.

xxxx

Susanne changed the appointment to once a week. After a large battle with the aliens, Hulk was walking among the damage. Bruce was aware, not aware like seeing the Hulk from inside his head. No, he and the Hulk were two people sharing a body at the same time. Bruce was moving his feet through the dust and rumble. Tony, Thor and Steve were busy with the rescue effects. He didn't know where Clint and Natasha were. Then he saw Clint in a building that was half standing, searching in the rumble.

"Clint hurt?" asked Hulk. He didn't want to scare Clint and say something like_ Clint, are you hurt?_ Bruce felt like the Hulk was also there but letting Bruce have some control. Was this what integration felt like? If this was integration, he wanted no part of it.

Bruce wanted the Hulk to have more control, and as a doctor, he knew curing his DID wouldn't stop his body's physical response to adrenaline - changing into an enormous green monster, now minus the rage. Eventually, the personality of the Hulk would vanish and he would be left alone in his own body. Why did that scare him so much? No waking more up in strange places wondering how many people the other guy killed. He should have been jumping for joy. What was wrong with him?

"Not too much," said Clint. "Nat is missing."

"I dig." Hulk started tossing aside the rocks. The biggest rocks felt like pebbles to him. Having this kind of strength was a rush, but he needed to be careful and find Natasha. Clint was the one with the hawk eyes, if he said she was here, she was here. He did smell blood with the Hulk's powerful nose and hoped it wasn't Natasha's. These big hands weren't good for stitching lacerations; he would need his own smaller hands to stop her bleeding. He stepped back into his own mind to let the Hulk dig Natasha out.

"You be careful," said Clint. "Those rocks are big and Nat isn't as tough as you. You said I."

If the Hulk said anything, Clint would know Bruce was doing more than watching and that could freak Clint out. They would talk later. Clint deserved that much. Right now, Bruce would just watch since unburying people was the Hulk's job. Hulk saw a strand of red hair and became more impatient with his digging. Clint was helping now until she was free of the rumble.

"She hurt," Hulk said, holding Natasha in his arms. Bruce knew from the unnatural position of her left leg that she had a compound fracture. He needed to be extra careful with that leg.

Natasha touched the Hulk's face. "Bruce, I'm so sorry."

"You hurt. No talk." The Hulk carried her to one of the make-shift tents for the wounded. After placing her on a cot, the Hulk looked at her and became small, again. "She's in shock," Bruce yelled. "Compound fracture of the tibia. I'm a doctor. Get me something to wear and I'll help anyway I can." Ready to fall down from fatigue, Bruce forced his eyes to stay open as he removed her tight clothes then put a blanket under her good leg to get the blood flowing to her head.

Someone threw a lab coat his way. "Wear this," the person yelled.

He put on the lab coat. "I need some help over here. The Hulk found her buried under the rumble."

A few hours later, Clint came over to him while Bruce was still treating the wounded.

"Bruce, you need to eat," Clint said.

After he cleaned and dressed a wound on the face of a small child, Bruce said, "You're a very good patient. You didn't cry once."

Clint handed Bruce some clothes. "We'll talk while you dress."

His pants were badly ripped by becoming the Hulk but they still held. A shirt and pants with a few less holes were welcome though.


	17. Chapter 17

Bruce walked over to a half-fallen building then started putting on the clothes Clint offered him. "He said _I,_ didn't he?"

"Is Nat going to make it?" asked Clint.

"She has few broken bones and she lost a lot of blood, but she'll pull through," said Bruce, as he quickly put on the clothes.

"Thank God," said Clint.

Bruce put his lab coat back on over his clothes and ran back to the tent to help more people. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Clint sitting by Natasha. Then he picked up another chart. After treating a few more patients, Bruce pulled up a chair by Clint. Natasha was given some painkillers by an army doctor and was sleeping soundly.

"I came back before the transformation," explained Bruce. "That's never happened before. The Hulk was still there but he let me have some control. I didn't realize I said spoke in first-person until you noticed. I was afraid I would spook you if I commented about it also the Hulk was kind of busy digging Nat out."

"You're the Hulk."

"No, I'm Bruce. The Hulk is the Hulk. We are two different people that share the same body. I can't read his mind and he can't read mine. He may be watching me from inside my head without my knowledge. I hope he isn't. He must remember being me since his job is to protect me. I remember being him, not very clearly but bits and pieces. I remember how it feels to be him too well."

Clint just looked at him.

"There is a movement to get DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) off the DSM-V," explained Bruce.

"Dr. Banner, speak English," said Clint.

"We watched _3 Faces of Eve_ together," said Bruce. "Tony remembers that night well because he stole one of your cans of Miller Lite and downed it. He hasn't had a drink since. Eve White in that movie had DID. I have it, too. I've been getting therapy for it. Nat must have realized I have DID that's why she made us see that terribly dated movie."

"That was close to five months ago," said Clint.

"Therapy takes time," said Bruce. "Since I haven't been cured of my physical condition, I may always change shape when I get a burst of adrenaline, but I'll be me whether I'm big or small, which means I don't have to fear the Hulk anymore."

"The Hulk seemed more aware when he was picking through the rumble and he was very protective of Nat's broken leg."

"I was inside my mind with him. It was an eerie experience watching the Hulk. I'm not sure I like it. I don't know what the Hulk is thinking anymore than I know what you're thinking." Bruce moved a finger pointing to Clint and himself while speaking, "I have more of an idea what your thinking since you and I talk and the Hulk and I don't. He takes over for me when my emotions get out of control and once he cools down, he leaves me to clean up his mess."

"I never saw it that way," said Clint.

"I'm sorry I slipped and said _I_. You have Nat to worry about. I didn't mean to burden you with my problems."

"Bruce, it isn't a burden." Clint put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "We all care about you. Are you a real doctor?"

"No, I play one of TV. Sorry. I've been living with Tony for too long," said Bruce. "I can't practice in the United States since General Ross told the Medical Review Board that I experimented on myself and engaged in other unethical behavior, but I rather have that stain on my record than the truth. It isn't like anyone would give the Hulk malpractice or liability insurance."

"And the truth is?"

"Two people died on my watch. A lab assistant died from cancer due to exposure to gamma radiation and a janitor died because I didn't treat my waste products as hazardous material." Waste products sounded like shit and the janitor, Bruce's biological father, had stolen hair to make mutant dogs and who knows what else. Another janitor and a security guard had been murdered - most likely by Bruce's biological father - but Bruce was only counting the deaths caused by his own carelessness. "Ross told me I would never work in a lab again before he knew about the Hulk."

"Bruce, you didn't know your waste was toxic."

"I was my lab and I should have had more precautions in place to prevent accidental exposure to radiation and other health risks. Tell me when Nat wakes." Bruce didn't blame himself for his biological father's death since the man was insane, but Bruce was responsible for properly disposing of bio-hazards, which he didn't do. "I have other patients to treat."

"Chill," said Clint.

"Sorry," said Bruce. "Trying to read the charts without my glasses is getting to me."

"Your glasses were on the Helicarrier," said Clint. "Weren't they?"

Bruce didn't want to think about all the people that died today. All he could do was treat the cuts and bruises of a few villagers. He hoped most of the people on the Helicarrier made it out alive and were picked up by a fishing boat or somehow made it to safety some other way. Feeling bad about complaining about his missing glasses, Bruce squinted to read another chart.

He was taking vitals when Clint and Natasha were escorted to an ambulance that would take them to a real hospital. A nurse went over to him. "You should get some sleep."

Bruce smiled at her. "Everyone's been telling me that."

She looked at his bare feet. "You're the Hulk, aren't you? I saw you change."

"Then you know the answer," Bruce said. "Dr. Banner."


	18. Chapter 18

Bruce said to Susanne. "It could have been a lot worse. Tony radioed for help from his suit and every fishing boat in the area came to the rescue. A few hours later, the Enterprise arrived. We lost the Helicarrier. Nat went missing and Hawkeye must really have hawk eyes because I don't know how anyone could have found her in that rumble. I remember battling the Chitauri, but what I really remember is the Hulk called himself I when he was searching for Nat."

"He referred to himself in the first person?"

"Yes, and he carried Nat to a make-shift hospital then gently placed her on a cot before he got me. I didn't run this time. I stayed and helped the wounded, assisting anyway I could. I think I'm integrating."

"Bruce, that's wonderful," Susanne said. "I'll schedule your next appointment at my office."

"You sure?" asked Bruce.

"You're integrating that means you no longer have to fear the Hulk," said Susanne.

"I don't know."

"Bruce, you have to go outside your boundaries. Do things you aren't comfortable doing. You can't grow otherwise."

Bruce said in a sad voice. "I'm going to miss the Hulk when he goes away. He's been my companion for over ten years. I haven't liked him most of that time. I liked him at first then I grew to hate him because he made a mess of my life. I would be a place awhile then I would have an incident and people were killed or hurt and I would have to move on, again. I had a clinic in the jungle and some guerillas tried to steal my medicine and vaccines and the Hulk was protecting me. The villagers kept their medical supplies but they lost their doctor - me. I could go months without an incident, but it would always happen eventually."

"You're too hard on yourself," said Susanne.

"Tony says I tiptoe when I should strut," said Bruce. "I don't strut."

"You didn't tiptoe this time," said Susanne. "Even though everyone saw you change back from being the Hulk, you didn't run. You stayed. You should be very proud of yourself."

"I had told Tony no," said Bruce. "This time I did something harder. I told the Hulk no. I told the Hulk that he wasn't going to make me run."

"Integration means you're welcoming him, making him part of you," Susanne said.

"The Hulk let me watch him," Bruce said.

"How did you feel about watching him?"

"It's weird," said Bruce. "I don't know if it was a good or bad experience. Seeing someone you work with in banged up like that isn't good. I was happy to dig Nat out from under the rumble. The Hulk did the digging - I watched."

"You're smiling a bit," said Susanne. "So I guess it was a good experience for you."

"Nat was hurt," said Bruce.

"How is she now?" asked Susanne.

"Her leg is in a cast," said Bruce. "She's limping around, leaning on Clint a lot, which I think he likes."

"No one is saying you like seeing a friend hurt. Bruce, feelings are never wrong. They just are."

"My feelings hurt people," Bruce simply stated.

"They may have in the past, but you and the Hulk are learning how to express yourselves better. The Hulk can smash as long as he doesn't hurt innocent civilians. Bruce, you can smash things, too. Why let Hulk have all the fun?"

Bruce's small smile got bigger. "You're kidding."

"I was," Susanne admitted, "But why not? Go buy some clay or make some bread and knead the dough. That's your assignment for the week. Knead some dough or clay."

xxxx

Later that day, Bruce saw an ophthalmologist about having his eyes checked to get a new prescription. As much as he hated the idea, he was really needed to look into getting progressive lenses, so he wouldn't to take off his reading glasses to see people's faces clearly. While looking at frames, Bruce said in the same voice someone would use to comment about the weather, "I'll need a larger pair for the Hulk."

"You're joking," said the eye doctor.

"No, the Hulk might be a little happier if the world was a bit less blurry," said Bruce. "Six month old babies keep their glasses on; he won't take them off."

"I don't have frames or lenses his size," said the eye doctor.

"Just make glasses for me then." Bruce tried on a pair of metal frames similar to his old glasses and handed them to the clerk.

"Dr. Banner, we'll have your glasses done in two hours," the clerk said between giggles.

"I'm glad you find my medical condition funny," said Bruce.

The clerk giggled, again. "If you need glasses, then he would need glasses. Not funny at all. Sorry."

While waiting the two hours for his own glasses, Bruce used his laptop at the cafe next door to find a place that does custom glasses for mutants. Then he called Tony, "I found a place that will make eyeglasses for the big guy. However, my vision plan only covers one pair of glasses every two years."

"And?"

"No one needs a farsighted Hulk," explained Bruce.

"You have been farsighted for years."

"The ophthalmologist wants me to wear bifocals or progressive lenses. Tony, custom-made Hulk-size glasses are more expensive than I can afford right now, and I get grumpy when I don't wear my glasses."

Tony saw laughing so hard - he was speechless.

"I'll laugh when you get your first pair of glasses."

Tony said between burst of laughter, "You want me to buy glasses for the Hulk?"

"I'm glad you find my failing eyesight amusing." Bruce looked at the time since his glasses would be done in two hours.

Tony said, "I'll buy the Hulk glasses."

"Thank you," said Bruce.

xxxx

Author's Note: When I got to about Bruce's age, I needed bifocals. I decided on lined bifocals and not progressive lenses because I like having the line to tell me where to place my eyes. Since the eye doctor told me that regular bifocals are going the way of the dinosaur, I may have to get progressive lenses next time. My parents prefer progressive lenses, so in this case I'm more an old fuddy-duddy than my parents. My daughter is also farsighted. When she was in first-grade, she had bifocals with a non-prescription lens on top because the eye doctor worried that a first grader would lose her reading glasses. The next time she went to the eye doctor, she got regular reading glasses.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: I thought I'd be done by now, but the plot bunnies won't let me be.

xxxx

After Bruce showed Tony a working prototype of high temperature superconductor, Tony told Bruce to close his eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Bruce. "What if I bump into a wall?"

"You didn't Hulk out when you fell off your chair, you won't Hulk out if you bump into a wall," said Tony, "Besides, I'll keep my hands on you at all times."

Bruce only peeked once while Tony lead him down the hall to the Green Room. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Your surprise is in the Green Room. It's purple because you're incredibly sexy in purple." Tony unlocked the door. "Close your eyes, again."

"Alright." Bruce closed his eyes then felt an arm around his shoulder leading him into the room. The arm let go of him then less than 2 seconds later some kind of fabric - clothing - fell onto his shoulder.

"You can open them now," said Tony.

"It's pants. Ugly purple pants," said Bruce.

"Put them on," said Tony.

Bruce removed his shoes then socks then took off his charcoal dress trousers. Then he put on the purple pants. "They cling to the skin, special fabric?"

"They should grow and shrink with you, so you don't have to be naked unless you want to be. I'm all for intentional nudity. I'll party with you naked anytime. I'll lock the door and we can try them out." Tony locked the door of the Green Room. "Take off any clothes you don't want ruined."

Tony took Bruce's glasses off his face and put them in their glass-case. Then he set the glass-case down on the futon. He started to unbutton Bruce's shirt and kissed his hairy chest. "Big guy, is anything wrong?"

"Last time I changed I came back early," said Bruce. "I'm a bit nervous."

Tony continued to unbutton Bruce's shirt. "Nice shirt. We wouldn't want it shredded."

After helping Tony take his purple shirt off the rest of the way, Bruce wrapped his arms around the taller man and kissed him on the lips. "This is the second nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Second nicest?"

"The first was this billionaire took an interest in this man that only owned his toothbrush," said Bruce. "I was nothing in a world that only cares what you did lately. I hadn't written any scientific papers in over ten years. You saw value inside me that I didn't see myself. You told me the other guy saved me for a reason and I needed to strut. Here I am doing research, again, and it is all because of you."

Tony hugged Bruce back. "You're crying."

Bruce wiped his face with one hand. "Am not." Then returned to hugging Tony, pressing his wet face into Tony's shoulder.

"I have another present," said Tony. "But you have to get big and green first."

"Tony, you'll have nothing to give me on my birthday."

"Says a man that can put everything he owns into one duffel bag," said Tony. "I'll stand back and you do your thing."

"My ceramic had zero heat energy loss at 268 degrees Kelvin," said Bruce. "We should be buying out Lombardi's Pizza."

"Pizza you want pizza you get. Put your clothes on over the magic purple pants." After grabbing the glass-case from the futon, Tony put the glasses back on Bruce's face then kissed his cheek.

Bruce didn't need to be told twice and put his clothes on over his new pants. While Bruce was tying his shoes, Tony called Bruce's assistant to tell her that they were going out for lunch and would bring her back pizza.

At Lombardi's, Tony bought two large pies - one to eat now and one to bring back to the lab. Tony loved watching Bruce eat. He could go to the fanciest restaurant and order the best steaks money could buy, but Bruce liked pizza, burritos and curry - not necessarily in that order.

Thor loved steak. So if Tony wanted to see someone enjoy a steak dinner, Tony and Pepper took out Thor and Jane. Then feeding an Asgard prince should cost way more than feeding a man that still owned little more than his toothbrush. Those purple pants made Bruce cry tears of joy. Tony worked as hard on those pants as Bruce did on his levitating ceramic ring. Not really, Tony always had two or three projects going at a time - sometimes more.

That levitating ring was going to change the world. Bruce's low self-esteem kept him from seeing that. Bruce was so close to a room temperature superconductor and the Nobel Prize in psychics. Bruce would be rich and Tony would get richer. What was really weird was this was outside Bruce's field of expertize. Bruce was working on improving Tony's suit and one thing led to another.

Bruce took the last slice. "You only had two slices."

"It's OK," said Tony.

"I'm used to university food. This is like home to me." Bruce smiled with tomato sauce all over his chin. "I don't do fish eggs or smelly cheese."

"I like caviar, but the smelly cheese is all Pepper. Jane also likes cheese that smells like dirty socks." Tony waved a hand in front of his nose as if to clear the air to emphasize the stink. "It must be a women thing. You ever want to make a woman happy - chocolate and smelly cheese."

Bruce laughed. "What about flowers?"

"Flowers turn brown and die," said Tony. "Sends the wrong message. Jewelry is always good, but you have to be careful. Necklaces and earrings until you know a girl well. No rings unless its an engagement ring."

Bruce finished the last slice. "I bought Betty a friendship bracelet once. We can go anytime." If Bruce didn't know why a friendship bracelet was wrong, he was clueless on so many levels.


	20. Chapter 20

Finally, after giving Bruce's new lab assistant the second pizza and putting Bruce's new glasses away in his apartment. They went to the Green Room and Bruce stripped to his new magic purple pants. Tony took a seat on the futon and watched. The pants didn't rip or tear. They stayed on perfectly as the Hulk throw the foam rocks and roared. Tony heard him yell "Betty" once. Bruce had said in therapy that Betty called him emotionally distant, and a friendship bracelet says I want you as my friend but don't get too close.

Finally, Tony glanced at the Hulk calming down and got a large glass-case he had hidden near the waterfall. Showing what he had in his hands to the Hulk, Tony opened the glass-case.

The Hulk reached over and took the glasses out of Tony's hands. After putting them on, the Hulk looked at the walls of Green Room. looked at himself in the pool near the waterfall then looked at Tony. "Hulk see good. Thank you, Tony."

Tony cautiously put a hand on the Hulk's back. "You haven't seen this good in years, have you, big fellow?"

"Bruce gave Hulk glasses," said the Hulk.

"Yes, he wanted you to have glasses."

"Hulk get Bruce," said the Hulk.

"He doesn't want you to get him early. I don't know what he meant by that, but you can play in the waterfall if you like."

Hulk took the suggestion and splashed in the waterfall then splashed Tony. Tony splashed him back. They were still playing in the falls when the Hulk returned to being Bruce. Tony walked his tired friend over to the futon, took the glasses that were now way too big for him off his face (One of the arms was hanging off his shoulder while the other side was still over his nose, looking way too funny.) dried him off with a towel then put a blanket over him.

Bruce asked, "Did he like the glasses?"

"Loved them. Now the Hulk is officially a four-eyed freak."

Bruce smiled, weakly, "Opposed to just being a freak."

"You sleep and dream of that Nobel prize your floating ceramic ring is going to win you."

"I don't even work in material science. I was trying to improve your suit and it was a happy accident." Bruce closed his eyes, still smiling.

xxxx

Susanne invited Bruce into her office with the starscapes and the books from the previous tenant. The office wasn't styled to her taste, but she had added her books to the collection. Her diplomas now hung on the wall, but the furniture and all the rest was from the man who came to work one day and went missing the next. The story was he was abducted by aliens, but more likely he died somewhere and the body was never found.

Bruce had been to her office once before to fill out paperwork. This was his first time he would be sitting on her sofa or a chair and talking.

After giving Bruce a hug, Susanne said, "Welcome. Did you get here by subway or cab?"

"Subway," Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "I have new glasses."

"Nice." Susanne sat in her chair behind the desk. "You can sit anywhere. We don't have yoga mats unless you brought you own, but the sofa is comfy."

Bruce sat on the chair with the least padding like Tony had. "A chair works. I have progressive lenses now. No more reading glasses. If I feel the Hulk coming, I'll have to take my glasses off."

"If you feel the Hulk coming, I'll do my best to talk you down. If that fails, we can call Tony. Steve lives in New York. Can you give me his number just in case?"

Bruce gave her the number.

After putting the number into her cellphone, Susanne shut the door. Then Susanne returned to her chair. "Doogie, I want to hear about your father."

Bruce pulled on the collar of his shirt then rubbed his elbows with his hands. "What about him?"

"You said he killed your mother while you watched. We can talk about that."

Bruce looked at the floor while hugging himself. "I think of things like that to bring the Hulk out to play. It isn't safe to talk about. I can go back to my Green Room and we can talk."

"Doogie, it's just words."

"It isn't the words." Bruce stopped hugging himself but was still looking at the floor. "It's the thoughts associated with them."

"You're going to think those thoughts whether we talk about them or not. You better do it here. Thinking those thoughts on a subway sounds less safe than a psychologist's office."

"I suppose," said Bruce.

"Bruce, honey, you need to talk about what happened so you can move on. Do you want to be as mess up as you are now for the rest of your life?"

Bruce glanced at her a second before his eyes went to her desk, which was higher than the floor, so it was a step in the right direction. "I suppose not."

"What happened?"

"My Mom and Dad were fighting in their bedroom. The door opened. Then Mom was pulling on the knife Dad was holding and Mom and Dad screamed even more. The screaming stopped and Mom was not moving and bleeding a lot. I don't remember anymore." Bruce held himself, again, and started rocking.

"Rocking is good," said Susanne. "Comfort yourself. How old were you?"

Bruce slowly held up four fingers.

Susanne walked over to him and brushed his hair with her fingers. "Bruce, I'm sorry. Please, come back." After a minute or two, she took his hand. "Let's go over to the sofa."

Holding her hand, Bruce walked over to the sofa and sat down. Susanne sat beside him.

"Bruce, talk to me," Susanne said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Say something."

His eyes appeared unfocused, but his breathing was normal. She put a hand on his wrist to check his pulse - 63 beats a minute - either normal or slow - she couldn't tell which without a baseline. Bruce did meditation and yoga. Most likely, Bruce put himself into this trance-like state on purpose to keep the Hulk at bay.

After a few minutes of watching Bruce holding himself and rocking, she called Tony. "I pushed Bruce too hard."

"What happened?" asked Tony.

"I asked him to talk about his father," explained Susanne. "He blurted out what happened the night his father killed his mother. Only he wasn't talking, his four year old self was. He's sitting and rocking; he appears to be catatonic. I think he was trying so hard to keep the Hulk from coming out that he shut down."

"I'm in California. If I make a few sonic booms, I can be there in a couple hours."

"Tony, please, keep the sonic booms to a minimum. I rather not hear about Ironman on the news. I'm calling Steve." Using three-way calling, she called Steve. "I have Tony on the other line. This is Bruce's therapist. I broke Bruce. I need you to come to my office."

"May I speak to Tony?" Steve sounded younger than she expected.

"I'll put him through."

Susanne put Tony through to Steve and put the phone on speaker.

"Steve, see if you can wake up Bruce," said Tony. "Dr. Rosen will give you the address. Ask a cab to take you there. I'll pay you back. The doctors can't give Bruce any medication. The wrong medicine could wake up the Hulk, very bad."

Steve said, "I understand. I'm not stupid."

"Not stupid," said Tony. "Ignorant as shit."

"I live in New York," said Steve. "I get less ignorant with every passing second."

Susanne said, "Boys, we don't have time for that now." She gave Steve the address.

Tony said, "I'll be there as fast as my jet packs will take me."

After Tony got off the phone, Steve repeated the address. Then he politely said good-bye to Susanne. Susanne went back to cuddling Bruce. The rocking had stopped, but he curled into a ball and was sucking his thumb with the hand not holding his legs to his body. Four year old Bruce was able to comfort himself. She needed to find a way to bring him back to today without bringing out the Hulk.

"I glad you are able to comfort yourself with your thumb." Susanne rubbed his back. "But I want you to talk to me. Bruce, can you hear me?"

Bruce nodded.

"Your friend Steve is on his way."

"Steve?" asked Bruce.

Susanne sang, "Bruce and Darcy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Bruce put his thumb down then gave his spit-covered hand to Susanne.

"Your spit is safe. It's only your blood that turns people into abominations," she said, hoping her words rang true. She took his hand and prayed his spit was safe to touch. It had to be. He wasn't the least bit nervous about sharing food. And Bruce worried about everything.

She sat with Bruce, holding his hand for what felt like forever. Then the door to her office opened. A young man in a World War II leather bomber jacket came into her office. His hair looked like a grown-out crew-cut. His jeans looked retro, 40s or 50s, and he had on a white tee shirt. His sneakers though were Nike and modern, but his socks were white. Was he the kid that had the Eidetic memory and lead troops in either Afghanistan or Iraq? He was the picture of American Pie that Tony had painted of him.

"Hi, Steve," said Susanne. "I would get up, but he has a firm grip of my hand."

"Hello, Dr. Rosen." Steve walked over to the sofa and knelt down to look seated Bruce in the eye then he looked at Susanne. "You broke him alright."

"I pushed him too hard," said Susanne. "I never had a client that was as scared of himself as Bruce is. He has been in therapy for five months and every time it feels we're having our first appointment."

Steve sat on the floor facing Bruce. "He has good reason to be scared of himself. He turns into a giant rage monster."

"I don't know how to get him past his fear," said Susanne.

"His fear is good," said Steve. "It keeps the rest of us safe."

"Is that your great-grandfather's jacket?" asked Susanne.

"No, I bought it at a second-hand shop," said Steve.

"It's beautiful," she gushed. He was also beautiful and young. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Food," said Steve.

"You're joking."

"No, Bruce and I were exposed to similar serums. I didn't get lethally hosed with gamma radiation though. So I have the same metabolism without the added benefit of turning into a green rage monster."

Susanne smiled in spite of herself.

"I don't sleep much," Steve continued. "Alcohol and coffee don't affect me and I'm hungry all the time. I suggest something Bruce will eat slowly, so he has time to become more aware of himself and his surroundings."

Steve touched Bruce's face, took off Bruce's glasses and put them on Susanne's desk. Then he bent down in front of Bruce. "When Bruce lets the Hulk out, we have the enemy in our sights. The Hulk usually needs to beat the crap out of few things before he's ready to listen to orders. Pardon my french, ma'am."

"Tony says worse," said Susanne.

"I rather not be the thing the Hulk beats the crap out of," Steve, simply, stated. He touched Bruce's face and pushed back Bruce's curly hair. "Here I am stepping on that live wire. Bruce, please, wake up."

Ellen Matthews, another therapist in the same building, knocked on the door. "What's going on?"

"I pushed a client a bit too hard and he became catatonic," explained Susanne.

"A little epinephrine will give him a shock to the system," said Ellen. "I have an epi-pen for bee stings."

"No!" screamed Susanne and Steve at the same time.

Ellen's footsteps told them that she running away from the door, hopefully, she wasn't getting epinephrine. Susanne didn't want to imagine what would happen when the drug hit Bruce's system.

Steve said, "If you give him epinephrine, we'll be dead and the building will no longer be standing. If we're lucky, Ironman might be able to calm him down once he gets here, but he's in California and he can only fly so fast."

Thanks, Steve, now Susanne didn't have to imagine.


	21. Chapter 21

When Ellen came back with the epi-pen, Steve's lightening fast reflexes knocked it out of her hand, breaking the pen in two while she was still in the hallway.

Ellen touched her wrist. "What just happened?" Her eyes were on the broken epi-pen on the carpet.

Steve said in a soft but threatening voice. "Do you have a death wish?"

Susanne said, "Ellen, adrenaline makes Bruce change into the Hulk. That's why he retreated inward when I pushed too hard. Bruce's emotions trigger the change."

Still outside Susanne's office, Ellen looked at the man still sitting on the sofa with his legs pressed against his body. "I almost killed us all. I'll go now."

"You better," said Susanne. "He knows Steve and me. Bruce is very uncomfortable around strangers."

"When did you start treating the Hulk?" asked Ellen.

"Bruce has been my client for five months now," said Susanne. "And he's Bruce. He builds sandcastles, loses at video games, likes screwball comedies, has a boyfriend who loves him and is a regular human being more than 99 percent of the time."

"Are you Bruce's boyfriend?" asked Ellen.

"No, just a friend." Steve blushed. "Bruce is a very private person. Please, leave. I'm going to try to get Bruce to response to me. Things could get ugly. I jumped on a grenade before."

"Was it live?" asked Ellen.

"No, ma'am, it wasn't, but I didn't know that at the time," said Steve. "Please, leave. He'll feel safer around friends."

Susanne looking at Bruce's hand clutching hers. "Ellen, go. We'll talk later."

After Ellen shut the door with herself on the other side, Susanne rubbed Bruce's hand until he let go then got up and locked the door. "I've never been so scared in my life. If you didn't break that pen, we'd all be dead right now. "

"Yes, ma'am," said Steve.

Steve knelt in front of the sofa and touched Bruce's face, again. "Bruce, I don't know exactly how you became the Hulk. The whole thing smells of cover up and Fury's secrets have secrets. I do know that you were used by the military and I know how that feels. We were both guinea pigs. I also know you're one of the few people that makes this messed-up century make some sense."

Steve looked at Bruce then Susanne. "Nothing. I suggest food. Bruce lived in India before S.H.I.E.L.D. brought him to the United States. Some sort of Indian dish would be good."

"You stay with him," said Susanne. "The Hulk likes you. Lock the door and only open it for Tony's or my voice."

"Do you have a board game like Monopoly? We can start tossing the dice and interacting. Bruce likes games almost as much as food."

Susanne started looking in her closet for a board game. "Good idea, since I don't like the idea of leaving him." She found Monopoly. "I found it. Have you played before?"

"I played it a few times in Europe," Steve said. "The Allies used the game as a way to sneak contraband into Prisoner of War camps."

"Oh my God," said Susanne. "Allies? You're talking World War II."

"Sorry, ma'am," said Steve. "Telling tall tales isn't going to bring Bruce back. I can't tell the truth for Bruce and lie for you. I'm not wired that way."

"Wasn't the original Captain America a character on a poster like Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter? You're a real person."

"The character on the posters and comics was based on me." Steve put the game on the floor and started setting up. "The version I played had a spinner, instead of dice. Come to think of it I did play an American version once. These are streets in Atlantic City. I've never been to Atlantic City. I heard Steel Pier is nice. They have a dance hall and live music like Tommy Dorsey."

"The big bands are gone." Susanne said, recalling Tony calling Steve ignorant. He must have been in a coma or something for close to 70 years. That didn't make sense. People age while in comas and Steve was in his early twenties. Frozen? People that are frozen have all their cells shattered by freezer burn unless that serum in Steve's blood acted like an anti-freeze. Bruce changed into a nine-foot monster, so Steve having anti-freeze in his blood was mild in comparison.

"Million Dollar Pier?" asked Steve.

"It's now a shopping mall," said Susanne.

"James Salt Water Taffy?" asked Steve.

"They're still around." Susanne pushed the chairs out of the way and sat on the floor by the board game.

Bruce sat down near the bank.

"Since you're the one who took the advanced classes in mathematics, you can be the banker," said Susanne. "As long as you play, too."

After Bruce took his glasses from the desk and put them on, Bruce started dealing out the money - 2 500's, 2 100's, 2 50's, 6 20's, etc - paying himself last.

Steve asked, "Do guys still hold their girl's hand, buy them salt water taffy and walk on the boardwalk?"

"They sure do." Susanne smiled. "Some things don't change."

"Darcy and Bruce were walking hand-in-hand on the beach and I didn't have a girl. Back before Bucky went into the army, Bucky would ask his girl to find a friend for me, but Bucky ended up with two girls and I still had none."

"You will find a girl."

"You're just saying that because you're a psychologist and your job is to make people feel better about themselves," said Steve. "I talked to psychologists they all wanted me to stop living in the 1940's and accept the world outside. I didn't like them very much."

"They weren't very good psychologists," said Susanne.

Bruce had finished counting out the money and was definitely listening to them.

"I suppose not," said Steve. "Or they would be in a fancy office like you, instead of working for the government." Of course, Apple Pie would pick up Tony Stark's cynicism. Tony must have told him only people that can't get real jobs work for the government.

"Steve, we go counter-clockwise with the banker going last," Susanne explained. "That makes you first."

"I get the car," said Steve.

"I'll take the hat," said Susanne.

Bruce put the dog behind the car and hat.

Steve rolled a two. "Baltic." He paid the bank and Bruce gave him the property. "I go, again."

Susanne called the receptionist. "No answer. I think Ellen had the building evacuated. I wonder how they managed to get everyone out without alerting us."

"That's going to get back to Fury," said Steve. "Bruce, you're going to have to talk to Fury. He's going to want to debrief us."

"No cage," said Bruce.

"Tony and I won't let Fury put you in a cage," said Steve. "I promise."

Susanne asked, "Bruce, where did you go?"

"Inside me," said Bruce. "I needed to keep the Hulk quiet. I did good?"

"You did very good," said Susanne. "Since we have to wait for Tony and, possibly, Nick Fury, let's continue playing Monopoly. You roll doubles, again, and you go to jail."

Steve said, shaking the dice, "No doubles." It was a five. Steve finished his turn.

Then Susanne took her first turn. As she moved her token, Susanne said, "Bruce, did you do your homework?"

"I forgot. I went to the eye doctor. Since I need to wear glasses full-time now, I convinced Tony to buy glasses for the Hulk since my vision plan won't pay for two pairs of glasses. The Hulk loves his glasses. He was walking around examining his reflection in the water and he looked at the walls and cameras and Tony. He even kept them on while splashing with Tony."

"Sounds like fun." Susanne bought the property she landed on.

"My turn." Bruce rolled the dice. "The light blue set is split three ways."

"You don't have to buy it," said Susanne. "Steve and I can have a bidding war."

"Is it good for you to spend that much time as the Hulk?" asked Steve.

"I kept the Hulk away for over a year by being angry all the time. My hair is turning gray and my eyesight starting to fail. I only have so many years ahead of me. I'll be damned if I will spend them angry. I'm going to smile and laugh. Vermont Avenue is mine." Bruce paid the bank, collected his title and finished his turn. "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be."

"Abe Lincoln," said Steve.

"When the eye doctor said you need to wear your glasses all the time, he didn't mean for the Hulk to get glasses, too," Susanne said.

"We're farsighted so it may not make all that much difference," said Bruce. "It isn't like the Hulk is going to be reading any books, but a little improvement in his vision could be the difference between life and death for someone. The clerk at the eye glass store laughed when I told her I needed another pair for the Hulk. She didn't back away in horror then she was behind a counter. She laughed."

Susanne smiled. "We are getting somewhere. Doogie, I'll never ask you to talk about your past again. From now on, we're going to focus on giving Bruce and the Hulk the best possible future. I don't want you to focus on the can't. I want you to focus on all the things you can do."

Steve rolled his dice. "Free parking."

Susanne said, "My turn."

"When I played in college, we put money in free parking," said Bruce.

"Any change in the rules needs to be decided before the game starts," Susanne said. "Thus, if you want to add money to free parking, we have to reset the game. We only took one turn each, so it is up to you, guys."

"Susanne, who made you dungeon master?" asked Bruce.

"It's my game and my office," said Susanne.

"We'll leave it as it is," said Steve.

xxxx

Author's Note: Steve landed on Baltic, Connecticut, then Virginia, then, finally, Free Parking. I read on a few Monopoly sites that during WWII, they put real money, maps and other Easter Eggs into Monopoly games given to Prisoners of War.


	22. Chapter 22

After everyone returned to the evacuated office building, Susanne was told by the building manager that Bruce couldn't return to her office. Ellen and Susanne watched Steve and Bruce walk away with a one-eyed man. Fury.

Therefore, Susanne decided to see Bruce in person in Stark Tower. Jarvis showed her to the Green Room, overriding the elevator. An AI taken over the elevator was a bit much of the psychologist, but everything was cool when Bruce met her at his floor with a hug. "Hello, Susanne. It wasn't your fault."

"It was Ellen's," said Susanne. "She's a social worker. Even if she was a doctor, she was totally out of line. You did nothing wrong. You were amazing. We need to play Monopoly again some time."

"Never play with Tony or Pepper. They totally whipped our asses. We were playing teams. Jane told Steve that he could be her partner since Thor didn't want to play but Steve had left the room by then. Darcy ran to find him, but he was killing punching bags, again." Bruce wasn't the only Avenger with anger issues, but Bruce's anger could kill a lot more than punching bags.

Talking about Steve, Susanne added, "Steve and I are dating online. I hope you don't mind."

"Why should I mind?"

"We met because of you." All Steve needed was to be introduced to other artists in a safe environment. "We both have avatars on Second Life. He's a raccoon and I'm an otter."

"Sounds kinky." Bruce walked her over to the Green Room and locked the door behind them.

Susanne said, "It isn't. Steve does mostly PG stuff in Raglan Shire. They have dance clubs with piano music and singing. According to Steve, it's like being there except with animals. I also have a human avatar, but I don't use that one with Steve."

"You and Steve, have fun. He isn't your client."

"I've been on long enough that my last name isn't Resident. I'm new to Raglan, so we're learning about Tinies together. Are you still working 10 to 14 hour day?"

Bruce nodded.

"You need to do something other than work." Susanne walked over to the futon and gestured for Bruce to join her by patting the cushion. After he sat down beside her, she took his hand. "All work and no play makes Bruce a dull boy."

"I just sent my work to the patent office," said Bruce. "I've been busy documenting everything. Tony says once the patent is pending, we're going to make the Nobel Prize Committee aware of my work with room temperature superconductors. Nobel Prizes are rewarded after the discovery has been showed to make an impact, but Tony's been teasing me ever since I got no heat lose without supercooling my ring."

"You have been busy." Susanne turned to face Bruce and look him in the eye. Instantly, his eyes fell toward his lap. "Bruce, you look into the camera at me, but making eye contact in real life isn't so easy for you."

"I don't want people to see what's in my eyes," said Bruce.

"You have beautiful brown eyes," said Susanne. "What don't you want people to see?"

"That I kill people," Bruce simply stated. "Loki said it best, I'm a mindless beast pretending to be a man."

"You have a brilliant mind," said Susanne. "Yes, the Hulk is part of you, but even he isn't mindless. You told me about him looking at himself in the water. He thinks. I thought you were going to work on being happy. Loki is the prince of lies. That was eight months ago. We're going to look to the future. No dwelling in the past."

Bruce stated without emotion, "I've killed people."

"Could you have done anything differently?" Susanne took both his hands in hers and tried to force eye contact. Although she failed with the eye contact, she still had her left hand holding his right and her right holding his left hand.

Bruce didn't pull away. "No, not really."

"At the end of Tony's AA meetings, they say the serenity prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference," said Susanne. "You couldn't have done anything different. It was out of your power."

Bruce nodded.

"I know it is hard, but you need to accept what you cannot change," Susanne said. "You said 'we' last session. You focus on Bruce and let the Hulk be the Hulk."

Bruce made eye contact. "OK."

"Folk are as happy as they want to be." Susanne smiled. "It's a terrible paraphrase, but I never said I had a mind for quoting things. You think about all the good things that make Bruce Bruce. Can you name some strengths?"

"I'm smart; I'm funny. I don't give up. My not giving-up causes me to work at the lab until I fall asleep at my work station. But I discover things other people don't because I persist. I like helping people. I'm polite. Not as polite as Steve."

"Steve told everyone in group chat that he was 92 years young. He grew up in a different time. Back to your strengths."

"I'm a good loser. I like winning but I'll play video games with Tony even though he sets his character several levels higher than mine just to level the playing field. Darcy and I enjoyed playing Monopoly against Team Stark as in Stark Industries. Pepper is worse than Tony because she'll make it sound like she's doing you a favor when she is screwing you over. You know Tony is screwing you over," said Bruce. "I guess that also goes back to me persisting."

"Anything else?"

"I'm fairly good looking." Bruce blushed. "I follow the beat of my own drum. I'm comfortable in my own company. I have a lot of assets."

"You do," said Susanne.

"I have another one," said Bruce. "I can't be bought at any price, meaning my values aren't for sale. General Ross hated that. Tony teases me about not having enough stuff to fill a duffel bag. I have money in the bank now. I could buy more stuff, but material objects aren't important to me. I've lived without them for so long."

"Is talking about your strengths that terrible?"

"I guess not." Bruce looked at his hands in hers. "Do you have to hold my hands?"

Susanne let go of his hands. "It's just that I've seen you on my monitor for so long. It feels good to be able to touch you. We're really on a futon, talking face-to-face. When I said your best possible future, that means we work with the possible."

Bruce smiled. "Not the impossible."

"You really have a room temperature superconductor in your lab?"

"It's a small ring about 5 grams in weight," said Bruce. "My assistant is probably running more tests on it. She's the expert in material science. She's been teaching me and she calls me brilliant."

"Then, maybe, I have redefine impossible."

xxxx

Author's Note: I play Second Life when I'm not reading fan fiction or working. My avatar is Rosalyn Swansong. Please, feel free to say hello. Right now, I'm a sea otter wearing a pink fishing hat. I think once Steve got over the interface he would love it. Raglan Shire has art shows and other events.


	23. Chapter 23

A few days after she saw Bruce for another appointment at Stark Tower, Susanne got a phone call from Tony. Susanne barely got in a "Hello, how may I help you?" before Tony started yelling.

"What is going on with Bruce?"

"He seems happier," she said.

"He seems happy - too happy," said Tony. "That means he has the pills or the IV bags or whatever he's using ready and he's set the date."

"Tony, he thinks he's integrating," said Susanne. "He saw part of the battle through Hulk's eyes. He gave me details. He also talked about you and the Hulk splashing in the waterfall. I understand your concern but he seems happy."

Tony said over the telephone, "Too happy. I know if I call to have him seen by a psychiatrist, he would go willingly, but what if the other guy isn't as cooperative. Ellen and that epi-pen was too close of a call. We need to handle this with kid gloves. Susanne, I'm scared I'm going to lose him."

"Tony, I've had suicidal clients before," said Susanne. "He doesn't appear suicidal. I'm sure you've been keeping tabs on him. What is he doing that I don't know about?"

"I'm in Baghdad right now or I would be at your office," said Tony. "He applied for the patent for his high temperature superconductor. His name will appear on the patent no matter what he says. He's at the lab, working another 14 hour a day. His assistant is bringing him food because he hasn't left the building in over a week."

"That's not unusual for him," said Susanne.

"It isn't his routine," explained Tony. "It's all the smiles and giggles. Bruce has two states; calm or sad. And Bruce's calm would make a Buddhist priest look like a novice. His sad is like the calm, only more listless. A person who has seen what he's seen shouldn't be smiling all the time."

"He told Steve and me that he was going to be happy," Susanne explained. "He is a very determined man. When he says he will do something, he does it. Sound like anyone else we know?"

"You don't become happy by saying I've had enough sadness and today I'll be happy."

Susanne asked, "Why not?"

"Because it isn't that easy."

"Has Bruce ever tried to kill himself before?" asked Susanne.

"Yes, but that time he didn't think it through. He was low and tried to swallow a bullet. The Hulk spit it out. Bruce can't be shot, but he can be tranquilized. He can't practice in the States, but he'd find a way to get the drugs he needs."

"Has Bruce ever patented anything before?" asked Susanne, wanting to find a reason for Bruce's happiness other than he set a date to kill himself. She had really hoped he had another reason to be happy. He talked about enjoying his life and not having enough time to be angry. She would know if someone was suicidal. And Bruce did not appear suicidal.

"No, he had been on the run for close to ten years," said Tony. "And his research at Berkeley wasn't close to the patent stage. He told you about the exploding frog."

"His smiles seem normal to me," said Susanne. "He fully into whatever he's doing. That's probably what makes him a great scientist. When he ate that pastrami sandwich he was eating that sandwich, which is why my fake orgasm shocked him so much that he fell onto the floor. He is enjoying his time in the sun," said Susanne. "Good-bye, Mr. Stark."

"I won't be hung up on."

"Mr. Stark, you're in Baghdad, even if you make a few sonic booms on your way here, you still won't get here for several hours. Either talk to Bruce yourself or don't. Good-bye." With that, she hung up on the Great Tony Stark.

The next day, Susanne felt guilty, so she called Tony's number. "Are you in the States?"

"No," said Tony. "Syria. In the movies, they have the aliens come to Earth and all the humans put down their differences and fight as one. It doesn't work that way in real life. We all fought together when the aliens were here, but now that the humans won, it's back to fighting amongst ourselves. An insurgence group is using Ironman for target practice, but I can talk to you while dodging cannon fire."

From the fireworks in the background, Susanne assumed he was telling the truth.

"Talk fast," said Tony. "I may have to return fire."

Bombs were going off, Susanne just wanted to hang up. Now she felt like a deer caught in headlight.

"Good-bye, Susanne." The phone went dead. She called Bruce's cellphone. It went straight to voice mail. Instead of leaving a message, she grabbed her jacket and purse, took the elevator to the lobby and went outside to get a cab to Stark Tower. Bruce's phone going straight to voice mail might just mean he left it in the Green Room or another sealed room where it couldn't get a signal, but she didn't want to take the chance that Tony was right.

Jarvis recognized Susanne. "Dr. Banner left this morning for New Mexico. Would you like to meet with his assistant, Dr. Deangelo?"

Now she felt stupid, his phone was off because he was on an airplane. "Did he say why he was going to New Mexico?"

"No, ma'am, he didn't," said Jarvis. "You may ask Dr. Deangelo,"

Susanne knocked on the door of Bruce's lab. A slender woman, wearing a lab coat, with her dark hair in a bun, answered the door. "Hello, I'm Bruce's therapist, Dr. Susanne Rosen. He usually tells me his plans."

"Even when they are top-secret?" asked the scientist.

"Then I am told he is going away and won't be able to return my calls," said Susanne. "May I come in?"

"No. I'll meet you in the employee lounge," said the scientist before shutting the lab door.

Susanne went to the employee lounge. It had a small white table with a couple chairs around it. There was a stack of chairs in the corner for more people to grab a seat when needed. On the cabinet built into the wall were the sink, microwave and small refrigerator. Above the sink a roll of generic paper towels. On another shelf was a coffee maker with a spigot for hot water, so Bruce could make his tea. On the same shelf were 2 mugs. One said "I Heart NY" and the other had the logo of a furniture store. Either one could have been Bruce's.

How could someone be somewhere for eights months and not leave a mark on it? Susanne just looked around the room and tried not to look at her phone for the time. "Jarvis, did Dr. Banner get on the plane?"

"Yes, ma'am. Do you want me to tell the airport to have him call you when he arrives?"

"Yes, please." Susanne didn't need to be polite to an AI, but the damn thing was so polite to her that it was instinct.

Over a half-hour later, Dr. Deangelo, finally, came into the lounge. "Hello, Dr. Rosen. I'm sorry I was so curt before. Why do you wish to see me?"

Susanne felt horrible about waiting a day. "How much do you know about Dr. Banner?"

"He's a brilliant scientist," said Deangelo. "I feel privileged to be working under him."

Susanne made eye contact with the scientist. "Personally?"

"Are you asking if I know about the other guy?"

"I might as well tell you why Mr. Stark called me and why I am here," explained Susanne. "Mr. Stark fears that Dr. Banner will try to take his life, again. Jarvis says he is in the air then he is in the air, not lying somewhere dead. I don't even think Dr. Banner is smart enough to outsmart Mr. Stark's AI. However, I will feel better once I get that call."

The scientist's face turned pale. "You're serious."

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," said Susanne. "Did he tell you why he went to New Mexico?"

"To see Ms. Lewis," said Deangelo.

"Then Mr. Stark is right. He's saying good-bye to her." Susanne shouldn't have said that but when it came preventing a client from harming himself or others all rules regarding confidentiality were dependent on putting the client's well-being first. Bruce had enjoyed spending time with Darcy Lewis and Darcy would be the one person he would want to say good-bye to - mentally say good-bye - Darcy would just see it an unexpected visit.

"He seem so happy," said Deangelo.

"A lot of people are happy after they have come up with the plan." Susanne didn't know how to say what she wanted to without saying the word _Hulk_. Deangelo said she knew about the other guy and she worked with a man who went to a cell reinforced with carbon fibers and alloys only Mr. Stark knew about to cool down, which was not your typical meditation room to say the least, although Bruce did do his yoga there, but it wasn't her place to give out his secrets, even when they weren't exactly secret. "If he gets the patent, he will die being known for something other than for the fallout of his accident of a decade ago."

Deangelo nodded then kept her eyes down.

"We both want to save Dr. Banner's life," said Susanne. "Usually, I would have a suicidal client seen by a psychiatrist, but Mr. Stark and I know that not everyone handling Dr. Banner's care may understand how special he is, if you get my meaning, and if he panics."

After they ordered food, which Deangelo went to the lobby to get, Susanne sat in the lounge alone to wait for Bruce's phone call.

"Hello, Susanne," said Bruce's unusually cheerful voice. "Jarvis asked me to call you."

"Hi, Bruce. How are you doing?" asked Susanne.

"I'm good other than my ears are still ringing," said Bruce. "A word to the wise, never answer a cell phone with Thor on the other end. He wants me to go to Asgard with him."

The End

xxxx

Author's Note: The story continues in Troll. I may write a Steve and Susanne story. Susanne can teach him about DeviantART and scanning his work into the computer and stuff like that. That way I can have Susanne in a fan fiction where she isn't working.


End file.
